Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • March 25, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 11 FOCUS customer's share of the savings is then increased to 85 percent. Q. How much do Highland Park managers have to interact with the IIG system? How much is done either automatically or manually on JouleSmart's end? A. The customer can make adjust- ments to the system at any time via mobile devices or the web. However, JouleSmart's IIG is highly automated and it is our goal for the system to op- erate without frequent customer inter- action. After all, they have a business to run, and any time they spend on their IIG is time they are not spending with their customers and employees. Q. Can you give an example of a par- ticular process that your system au- tomates? How is JouleSmart's system unique compared to a programmable thermostat or a lighting timer? A. One example is "Demand Con- trolled Ventilation" (DCV). The build- ing code says a building must provide sufficient outside (fresh) air to dilute internal contaminants inside the build- ing. Almost all small commercial build- ings address this problem by setting their HVAC systems to take in a fixed amount of fresh air, with the amount based on the assumption that the building is always full. That means the HVAC system is heating or cooling a lot of extra air that isn't really needed. Rather than setting a fixed amount of ventilation air, DCV adjusts ventila- tion based on measuring the levels of carbon dioxide inside the building, ensuring that you don't bring in more than needed, allowing you to save on heating and cooling costs. more work it takes to build a busi- ness like this." The next step was putting together an advisory board and determining the company's strategy. "There's a lot behind bringing a product like this to market. We needed some expertise, a lot of expertise," Cocuzza said. Hoffert, who had worked as a mentor to green businesses, signed on as COO in 2016, and experienced energy executive Dan Nadav took the CEO post a year later. In January, the company installed its first SmartWatt boiler for beta testing at the former Fuller Brush complex on Main Street in Hartford. The boiler now generates part of the power at the complex, which is also home to Enviro Power's seven- person office and testing lab. Regions like the Northeast with low natural gas prices and high electricity demand are ideal for Enviro Power's product, Hoffert said. New York City is an especially attractive market with its generous efficiency incentives and thousands of multifamily buildings. "We're going to save those land- lords a ton of money," Hoffert said. So far, the company has raised just over $1 million and is seeking $5 mil- lion to $10 mil- lion in capital to ramp up over the next two years. Plans include doubling the firm's current 1,500-square- foot footprint, with the poten- tial to build a 20,000-square- foot-plus assem- bly facility in the next five years. Like many growing companies, Enviro Power is open to relocating based on incentives. "We'll be explor- ing what the options are," Cocuzza said, adding that the company has benefited from its location in the state as it focuses on manufacturing its product. "The talent and experience and knowledge base in small companies in Connecticut is second to none," he said. Future products in the Enviro Power pipeline include technology that allows boilers to provide backup power in case of blackouts. Also on the horizon is adapting the compa- ny's technology toward trigeneration — providing heating, air condition- ing and electricity as part of a single, highly efficient system. Ideas are plentiful but integrating green technology into existing mar- kets is the real challenge, Cocuzza said. "What we're trying to do is solve an engineering problem — that's the easy part. The hard part is how do you iden- tify a market need and go out and navi- gate on no budget, very little resources and try to tackle what's ultimately a multibillion-dollar industry." You don't want to miss 'THE BEST PARTY IN TOWN' Open to all Members, Guests, Non-Members and Friends Tickets are $200 per person All but $125 per person is deductible as a charitable gift. Please R.S.V.P. no later than April 12, 2019 Call Margaret Lawson at 860.558.5026 or send an email to specialgifts@cptv.org Proceeds to benefi t the restoration of the Hartford Club's historic building. PLEASE JOIN US AT THE 3 FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2019 | 6 P.M. THE HARTFORD CLUB HARTFORD, CT CREATIVE COCKTAILS | FINE CUISINE | ARTISAN DESSERTS Great Music by the Yellow Brick Road Enjoy a Cigar in the Cigar Lounge Super Silent and Live Auctions Guest Auctioneer: Scot Haney, WFSB, Channel 3 Greet old friends – Meet new ones – at a Party to help preserve and energize a National Treasure right in the Heart of Hartford since 1873! Your host for the evening, Jerry Franklin President and CEO Emeritus, Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network DRESS IS FESTIVE COCKTAIL ATTIRE | BLACK TIE OPTIONAL MEDIA SPONSOR: (Left to right) Enviro Power employees Daryl Biron, Charlie DeLorenzo, Graham Steen and CTO Michael Cocuzza.

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