Southampton Town’s nearly 100-year-old Town Hall has become a model for modern sustainability, earning a prestigious Better Project Award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings initiative. The recognition, presented during the DOE’s national summit in Washington, D.C., highlights the town’s comprehensive overhaul of the building’s aging HVAC infrastructure and its broader commitment to energy efficiency.
The 72,000-square-foot municipal building underwent a three-year modernization that eliminated fossil fuel use entirely. The former steam-based system, once reliant on an adjacent school, was replaced with a 130-ton Variable Refrigerant Flow air-source heat pump system with heat recovery. This high-efficiency system allows heating and cooling to modulate based on real-time demand, transferring heat from warmer areas to cooler ones to maximize performance and reduce energy waste. The upgrade alone eliminated nearly 210 metric tons of carbon emissions.
The project, designed by Nelson + Pope, also introduced a dedicated outdoor air ventilation system, radiant heating in the main lobby, and individual room controls to improve occupant comfort. Fourteen new exterior condensing units were installed, supported by a new 600-amp electrical service with standby power provisions. Importantly, the transition was completed without interrupting daily Town Hall operations.
Beyond HVAC improvements, the town implemented low-flow plumbing fixtures that reduced water consumption by 90% and upgraded lighting to LEDs, cutting electricity usage by approximately 16,000 kilowatt-hours per month. These measures not only reduced the building’s environmental footprint but also delivered long-term operational savings.
The Better Project Award recognizes innovative, replicable strategies that deliver measurable energy, water, and waste reductions. Southampton’s approach checked every box: innovation, magnitude of impact, and scalability. As a participant in the DOE’s Better Climate Challenge, the town has pledged to become carbon-neutral by 2040 and to meet 100% of its electricity needs through renewable sources. Officials have already indicated that similar upgrades may be pursued across the town’s 42 additional municipal buildings.
The Town Hall project demonstrates how historic civic buildings can be reimagined for the future without compromising their legacy. In doing so, Southampton Town has positioned itself as a regional leader in clean energy modernization — proving that sustainability and public infrastructure can move forward together.
🔗 https://behindthehedges.com/southampton-receives-better-buildings-award/
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