Cost goes up for Augusta Civic Center gas conversion
The city of Augusta faces a cost of between $150,000 to $250,000 to convert the Augusta Civic Center from propane to natural gas.
The Kennebec Journal reported the conversion cost is higher than the original estimate of a few thousand dollars because the city discovered several propane boilers cannot be converted to natural gas and will have to be replaced.
A Summit Natural Gas of Maine gas line already has been extended to the city-owned auditorium and convention center, the newspaper reported.
City officials will also consider installing a microturbine to produce electicity at the civic center as well as heat water that can augment the building’s heating system, the newspaper reported. Annual energy costs for heat and electricity, which now average about $250,000 a year, are expected to go down by almost 50% to about $130,000 a year.
In late November, Biddeford-based Shift Energy LLC completed a 4,350-square-foot solar installation on the south-facing wall of the civic center as another move to reduce the facility’s heating costs.
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