Hopkinton Fire Station. Photos courtesy of Chief Doug Mumford, Hopkinton Fire Dept.
By Green Energy Times Staff
The Town of Hopkinton, New Hampshire, recently did a number of energy upgrades at the fire station on Pine Street. Among the upgrades were replacing lights with advanced LEDs, super-insulating the station itself, and installing a new biomass heating system fueled by locally-sourced wood pellets. The biomass system was installed by Froling Energy, a member of NHCTC. Froling Energy is a leading full service biomass company located in Peterborough, New Hampshire.
Froling pellet boiler at Hopkinton Fire Station
The installations have earned Hopkinton kudos from far and wide. Whenever a town invests carefully in energy efficiency and renewable energy, it is very likely to save local taxpayers money and boosts the local economy. Hopkinton’s investment not only is good for local home owners and businesses, but also provides for continuing employment in the area. In addition, by cutting carbon emissions and other pollution, it is good for the environment and the world.
Among those who came personally to the fire station was George Pataki, a former governor of New York and currently a candidate running for nomination by the Republican Party to be President of the United States. Jim O’Brien, Chairman of the Hopkinton Select Board, commented, “We are pleased to welcome the Governor to Hopkinton and show him our newly renovated and energy efficient fire station. We are very proud of these improvements which will save energy and our taxpayers money.”
Pellet fill.
Kate Epsen, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Clean Tech Council (NHCTC) said, “The NHCTC is a bi-partisan advocacy organization led by business leaders from throughout the state. We are thrilled to welcome Governor Pataki to visit a great example of a town taking control of its energy future and installing technology provided by one of our member companies and to discuss these important issues with us. We recognize our unique opportunity to engage with potential Presidential candidates from both parties and hope Governor Pataki’s visit continues our series of these important conversations about energy and this thriving economic sector.”
The recent New Hampshire Cleantech Market Report, an economic review conducted for the NHCTC, illustrates the clean technology and energy sectors’ importance in providing employment. Cleantech is one of the fastest growing sectors in the state economy, and its wages are high. Approximately 15,000 New Hampshire residents are currently working in it, a number that will almost certainly increase.
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