SHELBURNE — The Selectboard hopes Cowell Gymnasium’s backup heating system will last long enough to make it through the initial litmus test for the newly installed electric mini splits.

With the state giving out Green Communities grants to encourage a transition to clean energy, municipalities are reducing energy use and costs through investments in their buildings. Efforts such as installing solar panels, buying electric vehicles and switching heating methods align with the state’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.

Participation in the Green Communities program comes with increased interest in installing newer electric heating systems. Some towns are unsure about the conversion to mini splits, also known as air-source heat pumps, given that there are some unknowns, including how long repairs might take if they break.

Shelburne has been pursuing clean energy adaptations since being designated as a Green Community in 2018 and receiving an initial $91,200 in grants. In 2019, the town used $55,000 in Green Communities funding and $2,292 in town funds to install air-source heat pumps. The Cowell Gymnasium mini splits are being funded with a second award received in 2022, with the installation being completed in September 2023.

Both libraries — Arms Library and Shelburne Free Public Library — have converted their main heating system to mini splits, and the next conversion project will likely entail adding mini splits to the Police Station that is now heated with a propane-fired furnace. In addition to the electrification of heating, Shelburne also has solar projects in the works.

“If you look back to Canadian forest fires and floods this summer,” Selectboard member Andrew Baker said, “I think people are feeling the urgency to figure out how to reduce the carbon we are pumping into the atmosphere.”

The question of the reliability of air-source heat pumps arose during a recent Selectboard meeting when members discussed the backup oil-fired boiler system at Cowell Gymnasium. They believe the tanks will fail soon.

The Selectboard decided to purchase a singular steel tank to replace the current two rusting aluminum tanks. This will cost between $4,500 and $6,250, according to Town Administrator Terry Narkewicz.

“This work was not anticipated but needs to be done before the tanks fail,” Narkewicz wrote in an email.

While replacing the tanks solves the problem for now, the backup heating system as a whole is likely to fail soon. This leaves Shelburne officials with the lingering question of whether they will replace the old system, just in case, or if they will allow the building to fully rely on the electric system.

One concern is how heat pumps react to extreme cold. Once temperatures get below -5 degrees Fahrenheit, heat pumps become less efficient than they are at higher temperatures. They are designed to work best in temperatures ranging from 20 to 50 degrees.

Baker said he is less concerned about this issue given there are fewer and fewer cases of extreme cold in the area’s current climate.

“We are not seeing really cold temperatures as much as we used to,” he said. He noted he has a heat pump system at home with a propane backup that he has never had to use since making the switch.

Another concern is ensuring that the gym can still be heated and used as an emergency shelter site in the event of a power outage. Cowell Gymnasium is wired to have a backup generator installed, but it does not have one now.

When Memorial Hall switched to a heat pump system, the town kept its oil-fired boiler in the basement as a backup heat source. Narkewicz said there are no concerns this system will fail in the near future, though.

Cowell Gymnasium and Memorial Hall were the two largest oil consumers among municipal buildings in Shelburne, meaning the conversion to heat pumps in these two buildings significantly cuts down on municipal oil consumption.

Reach Bella Levavi at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.