The Town of Stratford is continuing to invest in more energy efficient operations, as part of the drive to lower costs, lower its CO2 footprint, and build a more resilient future.
The latest effort includes the installment of heat pumps in both the Library and Town Hall buildings. Heat pumps can run with up to 300% efficiency and will be used for heating in winter and cooling in summer. This will result in a more pleasant work environment in both the Library and the Town Hall, replacing cumbersome and inefficient AC units that needed to be vented through the windows. The existing gas and oil furnaces in both buildings will remain in place as backup systems, especially during winter cold snaps.
As part of the installation, a solar array was added to the SW side of the Pavilion roof, which will power the Library heat pumps as well as a new public EV charger, slated to go on line soon.
The heat pumps were in part funded by US Department of Energy grants which covered 50% of the installment costs. The Town was able to use the remainder of its ARPA funds for the necessary matching grants. The Solar Capital Reserve Fund covered the costs of the Pavilion solar array and the EV charger.
There are not many towns as small as Stratford that show such commitment to increasing energy efficiency, investing in renewable energies, and lowering their CO2 output.