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Warren council authorizes Town Hall energy-management controls with on-bill financing
Summary
After a presentation from the town energy manager, the council approved an agreement allowing the town manager to use Rhode Island Energy on-bill financing to install a building controls system at Town Hall. The project is budgeted with utility incentives and an existing federal grant; the council approved the authorization by voice vote.
Warren approved authorization for the town manager to enter an agreement with Rhode Island Energy to finance a $167,500 Town Hall building-controls project intended to reduce energy use and improve HVAC management.
Town Energy Manager Kathy Stanley told the council the project would be funded with a utility incentive of about $56,000 and $56,000 remaining from an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, leaving roughly $55,014 to be repaid through Rhode Island Energy’s on-bill repayment program. Stanley said the project’s estimated monthly energy savings are about $589, and the on-bill repayment would be about $574 a month over 96 months, so the payments would approximate the savings during the repayment period.
Stanley framed the controls system as a step toward more efficient operation and future decarbonization work, explaining that modern building controls allow staff to monitor HVAC equipment, track occupancy through CO₂ and temperature sensors, and diagnose faults remotely. She described prior projects the energy manager program supported, including a wastewater administration building retrofit and an EV charger funded through a National Grid maritime grant.
Councilors pressed staff on the risk that projected savings may not materialize and whether the town should treat the work as a capital expense. Stanley said no one can guarantee exact savings but cited comparable projects where controls produced measurable reductions; she also said the on-bill repayment carries no financing charge and that the utility would invoice the town monthly through its bill. The council asked that the project’s results be reported after implementation.
The council moved and approved authorization for the town manager to execute the RI Energy financing agreement for the Town Hall energy-management project by voice vote.
