NORTHAMPTON — In the pursuit of energy efficiency, Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School will use $668,820 in grant funding awarded by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) to install two heat pump water heaters.

One June 26, the MassCEC announced it will award $52.5 million in grants to 18 Massachusetts schools through the Green School Works program funded through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The program aims to create safer and healthier learning environments for students and educators by increasing energy efficiency in public schools, lower costs for school districts and reduce pollution. According to MassCEC, the projects benefit populations where at least 40 percent of the students come from low-income backgrounds.

Ben Weil, director of Northampton’s Climate Action & Project Administration (CAPA), explained the importance of grants like the Green School Works that aim to help the city move closer to its commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030 through the implementation of energy-efficient systems such as heat pump water heaters.

“The main issue really is that the current hot water heating situation is incredibly inefficiently piped so that even when nobody’s using hot water you’re wasting a lot of heat,” Weil said.

Smith Voc plans to replace its two gas-powered water heaters with the two heat pump water heaters by the end of the summer, according to Weil. Heat pump water heaters transfer heat from surrounding indoor air into a hot water tank rather than generating heat through burning fossil fuels or using an electric resistance tank.

“Some version of this is the wave of the future. This is the way things are going,” Weil said, explaining that students in the plumbing program will be able to study and learn about the capabilities of the new heaters.

“Investing in clean energy to modernize our schools is one of the smartest steps we can take to create healthier, safer learning environments for our students and educators,” said Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper in a statement. “By improving energy efficiency, we lower costs, reduce harmful pollution, and free up valuable resources to support teachers and educational programs.”

MassCEC was established in 2009 by Chapter 23J of the Massachusetts general laws with the mission to accelerate the clean energy and climate-tech innovation that is important to meeting Massachusetts’ climate goals. Since then it has awarded over $412.2 million through clean energy programs and investments.

Projects under the funding aim to modernize energy systems in buildings while investing in the well-being of communities. Projects include air source heat pumps, ventilation systems, solar panel installation and more.

“Schools are central gathering points to support vibrant and healthy communities,” MassCEC CEO Emily Reichert said in a statement. “That’s why we’re helping cities and towns modernize their buildings to include cleaner, more reliable energy systems, reducing air pollution and increasing comfort in our learning environments statewide.”

The Lt. Elmer J. McMahon Elementary School in Holyoke is also set to benefit from the Green School Works program, with an award of $3,969,000 for installing air source heat pumps.

Sam Ferland can be reached at sferland@gazettenet.com