WESTFIELD – A series of municipal green energy projects recently took advantage of the services of local companies, enabling the city to save money and help the local economy.
The city insisted upon the use of Mestek/HB Smith water boilers, drywalling from Bryco Construction, electrical work from Elm Electric, and wood/millwork from Westek for these projects, chief among them repairs being made to City Hall.
Multinational conglomerate Siemens oversaw the installation of 18 boilers, 14 HB Smith boilers and four additional Mestek Hydrotherms, being placed in various city buildings.
“We worked on new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems with Siemens,” said Paul Asselin, a service manager with Elm Electrical. “To make the buildings are more energy efficient, we installed new frequency drives, so the building’s fans won’t be on full blast all the time, and their speed can be adjusted.”
“It’s been good for us. It’s been keeping people working,” he said, adding that former Westfield Vocational-Technical High School students have worked with Elm to renovate their alma mater. “We’ve also replaced windows at both buildings, to make them tighter.”
When asked how Elm was able to secure the contract for the City Hall and Westfield Voc-Tech green energy projects, Asselin said that they were put up for a public bid and Elm’s low numbers and proven track record with Siemens was what got them the contract.
“We’re fortunate to have the numbers we had and to be able to work with the city,” he said. “And we’ve worked with Siemens in the past, so that, plus our good numbers, did it for us.”
“We have a good relationship with Siemens,” reiterated Erik Pederson of Elm Electrical. “They’re very specific and they like the way we work. Their equipment is highly efficient.”
When asked of just how much energy the new equipment will save the city, Pederson was unsure, but stated that Siemens checks this regularly.
“That’s out of my realm,” he said. “But Siemens does their own energy audits.”
For Bruce Scheible, president of Westek Architectural Woodworking, Inc., his company’s work on City Hall was far greener than the competition’s.
“We were selected over two other companies, one which was from eastern Mass. and one from southern Connecticut,” he said. “We put in new customer service desks, running trim, door frames, new handrails… it’s been quite a project.”
Scheible said that in addition to utilizing green conservation certified materials, his company has also switched to adhesives that are low in volatile organic compounds.
“We were there three times a week,” said Schieble. “Since we’re located on the north side of the city, it may’ve taken us about an hour and a half to load and unload all our materials, whereas a company from Boston or out of state, it may’ve taken them the whole day. So right off the bat, delivery used a lot less fuel.”
“We’re local guys,” he said. “Last year, we just missed out on the Gas and Electric project, so we wanted this project.”
“Anytime the city saves money and is at or below budget, it’s better for the taxpayer,” he said.
“(These projects) have worked like a charm,” said Mayor Daniel M. Knapik. “Switching the boilers over from steam to hot water… the repairs needed to be made.”
Knapik said that the city is now exploring ways to purchase more efficient vehicles, as well as methods of converting food and other solid waste into heat and other forms of energy.
“We’re taking a more holistic approach with this next round,” he said. “We have a multi-term relationship with one of the largest energy firms in the world, and everything we do is aimed at saving the taxpayer money.”
