From History to Sustainability: How Hamilton’s Historic Town Hall Will Become the First in MA to Reach Net Zero

Reaching net zero can feel like navigating a maze, especially for municipalities, nonprofits, and public entities that often lack internal energy experts. The path to decarbonization requires balancing community impact, budgets, and sustainability goals while continuing day-to-day operations. The Town of Hamilton, Massachusetts, faced exactly this challenge when it set out to modernize its historic Town Hall, an emblem of civic pride and heritage that also happened to be a 19th-century energy guzzler.  

The Challenge: Preserving History While Building a Sustainable Future  

Constructed in 1897, Hamilton’s Town Hall has stood as a community cornerstone for more than 125 years. But beneath its timeless wooden architecture laid outdated systems—inefficient heating, poor air quality, and high energy costs, that no longer met the town’s environmental or operational needs.  

Municipal leaders knew they had to act. Their goals were clear:  

• Create better, functional spaces for staff and residents.  
• Reduce energy consumption and operational costs.  
• Improve occupancy comfort, and accessibility.  
• Preserve the town’s historic character while achieving net zero emissions.  

 But as with most municipal projects, funding and expertise posed major hurdles. The total cost is $10.5 million, with $1.37 million funded through the energy systems portion, a significant investment for a small community The project included:  

• Geothermal HVAC System: Two 900-foot standing column wells and variable refrigerant flow (VRF) fan coil units provide 100% electric heating and cooling at a high coefficient of performance (COP).  
• Energy Recovery Ventilation: Ensures compliance with ventilation codes and best practices while improving air quality.  
• Advanced LED Lighting: Smart lighting systems with integrated controls for efficiency and user comfort.  
• On-site Solar PV Array: Generates clean electricity to offset grid usage.  
• IoT-Ready Building Management System: Web-based, open-source platform to optimize energy use and control all systems in real time.  

A Solution that makes a difference: Building Decarbonization-as-a-Service (BDaaS)  

As part of this program, Hamilton gained the tools and expertise needed to:  

• Comprehensive strategic planning and project management.  
• Assistance with accessing grants, federal incentives, and energy efficiency funding.  
• Expert partnerships to assess and implement clean technologies.  
• Financial modeling to help structure cost-effective pathways to net zero.  

For Hamilton, leveraging funding opportunities such as the Community Preservation Act and Federal and Green Communities decarbonization programs was key to making the Town Hall project a reality and helped with saving taxpayer dollars while accelerating sustainability goals. Together with multiple energy saving projects, the Town of Hamilton was able to pay $0 up front.   

Annual savings:  

• Energy usage: 62,080 kWh and 6,680 therms  
• Energy cost: $25,992 per year  
• Carbon reduction: 62.7 metric tons of CO₂e  

A Model for Communities Across Our Membership  

Nonprofits and public entities face unique challenges: limited budgets, aging infrastructure, complex procurement processes, all with a desire to serve their communities. Building Decarbonization as a Service (BDaaS) is designed to bridge those challenges by helping mission-driven organizations modernize their facilities while managing costs and maintaining focus on their core mission and purpose.  

Discover How to Turn Energy Challenges into Sustainable Solutions 

Through PowerOptions’ BDaaS program, our Members can reduce long-term costs, improve indoor comfort, and demonstrate environmental stewardship. These projects also attract grants and public support by showing tangible commitment to climate action.  

Interested in learning more about how PowerOptions’ Building Decarbonization-as-a-Service can help your organization achieve net zero? Register for the Building Decarbonization webinar. Or contact Erin Camp, our Director of Energy Sustainability and Analytics at ecamp@poweroptions.org.