Town council approves Johnson Controls to perform no-cost energy audit for second performance contract

The Town Council on May 13 authorized Johnson Controls to perform a comprehensive energy audit (CEA) of town and school district facilities at no cost, advancing the town’s plan for a second energy performance contract to fund building upgrades through guaranteed utility savings.

The audit step: Councilmember Fiona Pearson presented the resolution asking the council to appoint Johnson Controls to complete the CEA. “The town council of the Town of Cheshire … appoints Johnson Controls to complete the comprehensive energy audit at no cost or obligation to the town,” Pearson read as the motion was introduced and seconded.

Why it matters: The town’s first performance contract — a roughly $10.2 million infrastructure program — is in its tenth year and funded energy-efficiency work such as conversions from inefficient electric heat to gas and LED lighting in school buildings. The owner’s representative Energia and Johnson Controls told the council the new audit could identify a package of measures that pay for themselves through guaranteed energy savings.

What consultants said: Justin Benoit, Director of Project Delivery at Energia, described performance contracting as a fixed-price, guaranteed-savings approach that can leverage incentives and tax benefits rather than direct town capital. Alan (Aaron) Alibrio, representing Johnson Controls, presented preliminary findings from walkthroughs of five schools and eight town facilities and outlined a set of 18 energy conservation measures that could be bundled into a project.

Preliminary scale and funding signals: Johnson Controls’ preliminary slide deck presented an illustrative $22.5 million project with a 19-year payback and multiple potential offsets, including non-residential renewable-energy incentives (NRES), state school construction grants, federal tax incentives, and utility rebates. Alibrio also described estimated incentives and grant pools that could materially reduce the town’s financed amount; Energia and Johnson Controls emphasized the CEA is the next step to refine scope, savings, and grant capture.

Council discussion: Council members asked about life expectancy of equipment, prioritization of measures (balancing boilers, solar, batteries), tariff and supply‑chain risk, and whether project guarantees and contingency language would protect the town from price shocks. Johnson Controls said its contract structure includes subcontractor bidding, a construction-manager contingency within the guaranteed maximum price, and required documentation if tariff claims are advanced by subcontractors.

Vote and next steps: The council voted unanimously to authorize Johnson Controls to proceed with the audit. The CEA is a diagnostic phase; any actual construction contract would return to the council for approval.

Ending: Town officials said the audit will let staff, the district and consultants refine a priority list, finalize measures, and then present a guaranteed-savings contract for council consideration before any construction or financing is approved.