A Worcester elementary school still relying on heating equipment installed when the building opened 35 years ago will undergo a $2.73 million energy overhaul, part of a statewide effort to modernize aging public schools while reducing their dependence on fossil fuels.
City View Discovery School has been awarded the grant through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s Green School Works program, city officials announced Wednesday. It is the largest energy-efficiency grant Worcester has received for a single school facility.
The project will replace original heating equipment dating to 1991 with a high-efficiency electric air-to-water heat pump system and make additional improvements to the building’s insulation and airflow. Existing natural gas boilers will remain as backup during periods of extreme winter weather.
Work is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
The project marks Worcester’s first school decarbonization effort of its kind and could serve as a model for similar upgrades elsewhere in the district, according to the city’s announcement.
“This is the first project of its kind for Worcester and serves as an example of how we can modernize our schools with the right support,” City Manager Eric D. Batista said in the announcement. “We’re going to use what we learn here to explore similar upgrades at other schools across the city as part of our broader commitment to the Green Worcester Plan and to healthy, equitable schools for every student in the city.”
City View, which serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade, is located in what the city describes as a high-need environmental justice community. About 10.3% of students at the school require asthma-related supports, compared with a statewide average of 8.9%, according to the announcement.
City officials say the improvements are expected to improve indoor air quality and temperature control while reducing the risk of failures from mechanical systems that have reached the end of their useful life.
The work is also intended to make the school more resilient during extreme weather by reducing its reliance on a single fossil-fuel heating system. City View is used for community programming outside regular school hours, extending the potential benefits of the upgrades beyond the school day.
“We are grateful for the substantial and continuous support of our local and state partners to provide this energy efficiency upgrade at City View Discovery School,” Worcester Public Schools Superintendent Brian E. Allen said in the announcement. “This project helps meet our district’s strategic plan priority of modernized and safe facilities to benefit our students and staff.”
Worcester’s award is part of $19 million distributed by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center in the second round of its Green School Works program. The initiative, funded by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, supports projects designed to reduce energy costs and pollution while improving conditions inside K-12 public school buildings.
The Worcester project is a partnership between the school district and the city’s Department of Sustainability and Resilience.
