For more than 65 years, non-profit HARC has provided services to improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and their families in the Greater Hartford area. Like many non-profits, HARC’s funding sources are limited and the money is typically earmarked for program support before facility upgrades.
Eversource recently worked with the organization to complete an infrastructure upgrade at their headquarters on Asylum Avenue in Hartford. The comprehensive energy efficiency project included new, high-efficiency indoor and outdoor lighting, HVAC equipment, and a new gas boiler. Thomaston’s JK Energy Solutions, an authorized Eversource contractor, developed and performed the upgrade work.
“Working with Eversource, the Connecticut Green Bank and JK Energy Solutions, we were able to create a modern, more comfortable office space without having to divert funding from other sources,” said HARC President and CEO Andrea Barton Reeves. “The overall feel of our office is important for the work we do, for both our clients and employees. We are also excited to see how the year-after-year energy savings will help from an operations perspective.”
As a result of the upgrades, HARC is expected to save more than 89,000 kilowatt-hours in annual electricity savings, and nearly 2.2 thousand CCF (one CCF equals 100 cubic feet) in annual natural gas savings – that’s more than $16,000 a year in utility costs.
HARC will save more than 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and approximately 33 thousand CCF throughout the lifetime of the newly-installed equipment, which is approximately $223,000 in energy savings.
“HARC is a great success story and one that other non-profits and businesses seeking assistance for much needed infrastructure upgrades can learn from,” Eversource Energy Efficiency spokesman Enoch Lenge said. “HARC is doing tremendous work and the upgrades will help them continue to grow and expand.”
Eversource assisted HARC in securing nearly $51,000 in Energize Connecticut incentives to offset the cost of the project. HARC will finance the remaining project cost over the next 17 years through the Connecticut Green Bank’s C-PACE program.