Incentive Helps Durham Church Improve Energy Efficiency

After enduring years of chilly drafts in a 62-year-old wing of the Community Church of Durham, parishioners and other visitors are rejoicing in the warmth this winter season thanks to an energy efficiency project that has improved heating and will reduce energy usage.

Unitil, a provider of electricity and natural gas to customers in New England, recently provided a $28,222 energy efficiency incentive to the church to help offset the total price tag for the improvements, which included the addition of cellulose insulation - a fiber insulation made primarily from recycled material - between the bottom chords of the roof trusses. Additionally, some block walls which support the trusses received air sealing with limited spray foam insulation to better weatherize the building and prevent heat loss.

The church, located at 17 Main St. in Durham, was built in 1848, but a 1962 extension on the building had been a concern for many years because of ineffective insulation layers and air leakage that at one point resulted in a frozen sprinkler pipe.

Unitil was able to offer the energy efficiency incentive through NHSaves - a collaboration of New Hampshire's electric and natural gas utilities working together to provide customers with information, incentives, and support designed to save energy, reduce costs, and protect the environment statewide.

"This was a critical project that has really tightened up the building and drastically enhanced the indoor thermal environment and comfort level for its occupants," Unitil External Affairs Director Alec O'Meara said. "In addition to the improved insulation and weatherization of this important community gathering place, the work that was completed just in time for the fall and winter seasons should lead to substantial energy savings. We were pleased to work with the church and provide the financial assistance that helped make these improvements possible."

The energy efficiency incentive covered approximately a third of the cost of the project, which is expected to reduce energy usage by an estimated 977 therms of gas and 1,422 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.

The church is also expected to see savings in air conditioning use during the summer months as the insulation will act as a barrier to keep outside heat from entering the building.

Northeast Air Sealing of Concord performed the work, which began over the summer and was completed in August.

Doug Bencks, the church's council vice chairman who helped oversee the project, said the effort to make the building more energy efficient was part of a larger capital improvement campaign that also included the installation of solar panels on the roof.

Bencks expressed relief that the work has now been completed and that the church's members and others who use the facility as a community resource have already noticed that it's been more comfortable this heating season.

"There's been an immediate awareness in terms of comfort. After we had the sprinkler incident we ended up putting in these grills in the ceiling to make sure the warm air from down below was rising up to keep the sprinkler lines from freezing, but then we had a cold draft coming down on top of people. One of the grills was in the library and this one chair was right underneath the grill. We had a joke that whoever was late to the meeting got the cold chair. It's very clear that that's not an issue anymore," Bencks said.

Given the church's financial considerations and other projects that are needed, he said the church was appreciative of the energy efficiency incentive, adding, "Certainly working with the NHSaves program was a great process. That made it possible for us to be able to do the project."

For more information on energy efficiency incentives available through NHSaves, visit https://nhsaves.com/businesses-towns/.