ANDOVER, Mass. — The new aeration blowers at the City of Rochester, N.H., wastewater treatment plant have been called a “home run” for energy efficiency.

The project, designed by Brown and Caldwell, upgrades the plant’s aeration blower system, the most energy-intensive stage of wastewater treatment, with high-efficiency, gear-driven blowers from Siemens Energy. The upgraded system will save more than 32,568 gallons of heating fuel and nearly 522,504 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

The project was funded in part by a $394,000 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant from the PUC, some of which the city used to purchase the blowers. “We saw the projected CO2 reduction and the energy savings and felt certain this project would be a home run,” PUC Sustainable Energy Director Jack Ruderman stated. “This project offers a model for other municipalities across the state looking to increase energy efficiency in their wastewater treatment plants.” The facility is expected to recoup the remainder of its investment for the $680,000 project in the form of annual electrical cost savings within five years.