Salem Schools Get $7.2M Grant to Remove Fossil Fuels

Salem and Salem Public Schools will use a $7.2 million grant from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and National Grid to eliminate heating oil and gas from Horace Mann Laboratory School.

The Transforming Energy in Schools Initiative grant combines with two earlier awards totaling more than $12 million for the project. Salem received a $5 million Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Green School Works grant last year, and the Massachusetts School Building Authority's Accelerated Repair Program provides additional funding.

The school, which houses Salem State University's teacher training program and elementary students, will replace its aging heating system with electric heat pumps powered by renewable energy. The upgrades will cut operating costs and eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the building.

Salem has not announced a construction start date.