Council OKs $700,995 contract for building automation system to cut energy use at city facilities

Derby — The City Council on Feb. 11 authorized a $700,995 contract and accompanying project resolution to install a building automation system (BAS) across several municipal facilities, citing expected energy savings, improved comfort and longer equipment life.

City staff said the first-phase work will cover the Derby Public Library, the Venue and Pavilion, Fire Station 81 and the north side of City Hall with future phases tied to planned police and courts remodeling and the new senior center.

Public works staff said the BAS will provide centralized monitoring and remote control of HVAC and lighting schedules, help diagnose faults and reduce unnecessary runtime. Schneider Electric, the selected design–build vendor, estimated roughly $558,000 in guaranteed energy savings over 20 years and identified potential incentives: an Evergy custom rebate and a federal 179D tax-credit capture that Schneider expects to return to the city for future phases.

Assistant Public Works Director Tom Kyle told the council Schneider’s work will be phased to avoid duplicative work with planned remodeling and to allow the city to commission systems so units run only as needed. Schneider’s presentation said the BAS will include a single “front end” for remote access, monthly performance reports, and a Resource Advisor utility-data package to track and visualize energy use.

Peter Henkel of Schneider Electric described the project as foundational: “This is the system that lets you manage comfort and resiliency across all of your facilities and then scale into new construction,” Henkel said. The company will help submit rebate applications to Evergy and pursue tax-credit work; Schneider said an anticipated 179D benefit of roughly $65,000–$75,000 would be repurposed toward later phases.

Council members asked about equipment life and ongoing support. Henkel said physical controllers and field hardware typically have a 15–20 year service life, while software and firmware updates are ongoing. Ongoing help-line and remote support after the first year will be negotiated annually and scaled to city needs, he added.

The motion to authorize execution of an energy and construction services contract with Schneider Electric and a project resolution authorizing public improvements and bond issuance passed 7–0.

Funding and next steps: city staff said the project will use available capital and that some earlier-recommended building improvements were completed in-house. Final design, equipment lead times and a construction schedule will be coordinated with department stakeholders to limit disruption. Staff said the BAS rollout would be timed so later remodeling projects can be integrated under a common control framework.

Council President Nick Engle and Public Works staff praised the project as a step toward planned, long-term reinvestment in municipal infrastructure that aims to lower operating cost and improve service reliability.