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Falmouth updates Green Communities and greenhouse‑gas inventory; seeks support for bigger projects
Summary
Sustainability staff reported that the town has secured roughly $1.3M in incentives and over $120,000 in annual savings from projects, completed competitive grants for electrification, and obtained a municipal greenhouse‑gas inventory showing municipal emissions down about 13% since a 2018 baseline; staff urged Select Board backing for larger investments to meet 20% Green Communities goals.
Falmouth’s sustainability specialist, Stephanie Madson, presented an annual update to the Select Board on March 23 outlining energy efficiency projects, municipal electrification, EV charging expansion and solar installations. Town officials highlighted more than $1.3 million in incentives and over $120,000 in estimated annual municipal savings from completed projects, including LED retrofits and heat‑pump conversions at municipal buildings.
Madson said the town’s Green Communities designation funded an initial set of measures and that a competitive Green Communities grant in 2025 provided additional funds used for oil‑to‑heat‑pump conversions, HVAC upgrades, weatherization and energy‑control improvements. The town has installed solar arrays at several municipal sites and is pursuing two solar carport projects at municipal parking lots.
Competitive Energy Services (CES) presented a municipal greenhouse‑gas inventory of scope‑1 and scope‑2 emissions, showing approximately a 13.5% reduction in municipal emissions relative to a 2018 baseline but an uptick between 2023 and 2024 driven by increased fleet and electricity use. CES emphasized that electrification (heat pumps, EVs) will shift emissions from scope‑1 to scope‑2 and underscored the value of tracking both energy and emissions to target investments.
Madson and the Energy Committee urged the Select Board to continue supporting larger, grant‑leveraged projects, and highlighted the need for community‑wide action: residents and commercial buildings account for the majority of townwide emissions even as municipal actions set an example.
Next steps: the town will continue to pursue grants, expand EV charging infrastructure, pilot electrified landscaping equipment and consider large projects (school solar carports and battery backup) that could deliver resilience as well as emissions reductions.
Representative quote: “We can save money while reducing our greenhouse gas emissions,” Madson told the board, urging support for larger projects to meet Green Communities goals.
