ORANGE — Ralph C. Mahar Regional School will soon be more energy-efficient after securing $524,000 in grants.

Ian Spencer, Mahar’s facilities director since 2021, said the money will be used to replace the heating, ventilation and air conditioning in 24 classrooms, as well as an oil-fired water heater that dates back to the school’s redesign 20 years ago. He explained that the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center awarded Mahar two Green School Works Implementation grants — one for $385,000 and the other for $139,000.

“I was pretty excited because I knew it was a competitive grant, and it was a fairly lengthy application process and a lot of work went into it,” Spencer said. “It was nice to see funds come out of it and [that] it wasn’t just an exercise, so to speak.”

He said 17 Mahar classrooms were already equipped with new HVAC units and the grant money will get them installed in the remaining 24.

The water heater being replaced, he mentioned, has “definitely seen its lifespan, to say the least.”

Spencer said the goal is to have the projects completed by September 2026. He mentioned the water heater installation will likely happen first “because we can do that when school is in session. We can’t work in classrooms when school is in session.”

Spencer noted that the projects’ total cost is about $700,000. The difference will be covered by rebates from National Grid.

Elizabeth Zielinski, superintendent of the Ralph C. Mahar Regional and Union 73 school districts, said it is a huge relief to get the grant money.

“It’s good to know because money is tight,” she said. “Money is always tight and we have to keep our facilities upgraded, so it’s a huge help.”

Spencer mentioned that 18 schools across the state are receiving Green School Works Implementation grants in differing amounts.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.