Federal Grants Bring Upgrades to Borough Energy Use

Fort Lee is nearing completion of a two-year effort that has used federal grant money to upgrade energy efficiency in several municipal buildings.

With grants from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program, begun under the 2009 stimulus act, the borough upgraded lighting and HVAC units in the senior center, recreation center, youth center, DPW building, borough hall, and ambulance corps building.

Grants distributed to Fort Lee by the U.S. Department of Energy totaled $135,000, which the borough did not need to apply for.

According to borough engineer Edward Mignone, the bulk of the money went toward improving the efficiency of the lighting and HVAC in the six government buildings, measures he says will save the borough money in energy bills in the long-term.

“A lot of our heating and air conditioning was older, at least twenty years, maybe older in some cases,” Mignone said. “The boilers and the air conditioning units, the central air we just finished in some of the larger buildings, will all be up to the newest standards. So it should save money.”

Following the completion of HVAC and lighting installations, which had been preapproved with the grant, the borough received approval to use the remaining money in the grant to replace the backup generator at borough hall.