The City of Opp is taking steps to improve energy efficiency at city hall, thanks to a more than $34,000 U.S. Department of Energy grant.

Gov. Robert Bentley’s office announced Monday that the city was among the state’s 11 recipients sharing in nearly $1.4 million in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants, which are designed to help governments and nonprofit groups improve the energy efficiency of buildings and equipment.

“These improvements are a wise economic and environmental investment,” Bentley said. “In addition to providing work for construction professionals, the energy-saving steps we take today will save local governments and taxpayers thousands of dollars in the future.”

Opp City Planner Don Childre said the money will be used to install new interior storm windows inside city hall and to upgrade the building’s air conditioning system.

Childre said since city hall is on the National Register of Historic Places, the windows could not be installed on the on the outside because it would take away from the “historicness” of the building.

“The agreement was when we moved into the building that we wouldn’t alter the exterior,” he said. “We couldn’t put normal storm windows on the outside. Right now, it looks like a mirror when you drive by and now when the wind blows, it sort of rattles the window curtains.

Childre said the windows were installed in 1938, and they expect to see a significant savings in heating and cooling costs. ADECA is administering the funds.