Lakeville advisory committee recommends $17,900 energy study to test fire-station design for Section 179D tax credit

The Lakeville Energy Advisory Committee unanimously recommended on Nov. 3 that the fire station building committee seek a $17,900 energy-analysis proposal from Andelmann & Leek Engineering to determine whether the proposed station would qualify for the Section 179D federal tax deduction.

The committee's chair, John Gregory, said the advisory committee does not have authority to sign contracts but can recommend that the building committee pursue the work. Magda of Andelmann & Leek Engineering described the proposed scope as an hourly whole-building energy simulation comparing the proposed design to a prescribed reference baseline under the 179D rules. Magda said, "the tax breaks ... are over $5 per square foot potentially," and outlined additional uses for the model including alternatives analysis, commissioning verification and photovoltaic (PV) sizing.

Committee members asked whether the TEDDI (stretch-code envelope) calculation and LEED certification work were included. Magda responded that the TEDDI calculation is distinct from the Section 179D simulation and can be offered as an optional, separate line item; she said TEDDI inputs are largely prescribed by the stretch code and that adding TEDDI should not be a large incremental cost for a relatively small building but that it would be priced separately. The committee asked the consultant for a nonbinding estimate for TEDDI as an optional service.

After discussion, a motion was made and seconded to recommend the proposal as presented (the $17,900 base scope) to the fire station building committee, with TEDDI and LEED treated as potential add-ons for later consideration. The committee recorded a unanimous recommendation (yes: 5; no: 0; abstain: 0) to forward the proposal.

What the committee approved was a recommendation to the building committee rather than a contract award. The advisory committee's vote was explicit that it has no authority to bind the town to a contract and that the building committee or municipal staff would handle procurement and any contract amendments to add optional services.

Going forward, committee members asked the consultant to return a revised proposal that itemizes optional TEDDI and LEED work so the building committee can weigh cost and scope. The committee also discussed using the model outputs for budgeting projected energy costs and for post-occupancy commissioning to compare utility bills to predicted performance.

Speakers quoted in this report are taken from the meeting transcript of the Town of Lakeville Energy Advisory Committee meeting on Nov. 3, 2025.