Hartford Business Journal

22 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | NOVEMBER 29, 2021 Focus: Energy Despite green efforts, CT's commercial properties are emitting more pollution; Here are ways to fix that By Zachary Vasile zvasile@hartfordbusiness.com W hen a comprehensive inventory of Connecticut's greenhouse gas emissions was released in early September, showing transportation-related exhaust to be a leading and persistent contributor, it sparked renewed discussion about the pace of the state's adoption of electric vehicles and the pressing need to expand EV charging infrastructure. Less noticed, however, was a slight but discouraging upswing in pollution released by commercial buildings. According to data from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, commercial buildings have been throwing off more energy-trapping gases like carbon dioxide since around 2012, following a period of modest declines beginning around 2003. And though buildings as a source of greenhouse gas emissions trail the output of the transportation and electricity sectors, they will have to figure into any serious discussion of a more environmentally-friendly Connecticut, especially as extreme weather in the summer and winter months — the norm in recent years — taxes the state's aging heating and cooling systems. In some ways, the numbers belie the work already being done to spur the retrofitting of older buildings with more efficient lighting and equipment, and encourage the construction of more sustainable buildings in the future. Companies that want to go green — or at least greener — can take advantage of incentives from the state's utility companies, arrange financing with the help of the Connecticut Green Bank and contract with a growing number of energy conservation firms to navigate the process. "It's kind of surprising when people don't want this," said Jack Cunningham, director of energy solutions sales at West Hartford- based Environmental Systems Corp. "You're getting free stuff. And once they finally get into it, they're always happy that they did." Bottom-line savings ESC provides energy evaluations for its client's buildings, identifying what improvements could be made to reduce energy consumption. Oftentimes, that means replacing or upgrading equipment such as steam traps, dust collectors, HVAC systems and pump frequency drives, swapping in LED lights for older halogen bulbs and installing rooftop solar panels. The company then works with the client's utility company to determine what energy reduction incentives may be available and comes up with an either cost neutral or cash positive plan to perform the upgrades. According to Cunningham, ESC's customers include manufacturers, schools, hospitals and universities, among others. Each company that decides to pursue an energy reduction project, with ESC or generally, has their own considerations, he noted, though they all want to come out ahead financially. "Smaller and mid-sized businesses are doing it for the financial end," he said. "Whereas with larger companies, they want to go green as part of the company culture, or at least move in that direction." Middletown's Wesleyan University is an ESC client. In 2018, ESC spearheaded an energy overhaul of the school's athletic facility that is now saving Wesleyan about $150,000 per year in electric costs, according to Andrew Plotkin, the university's engineering project manager. The project cost $1.6 million, and utility incentives ultimately absorbed $600,000 of that amount, leaving the university to pay $1 million, which will gradually be made up in savings. Wesleyan has continued to work with ESC since, replacing halogen lights with LEDs and making upgrades to boilers, rooftop equipment and other systems. Smaller clients, different Jack Cunningham Wesleyan University in 2018 carried out sweeping energy efficiency upgrades at its athletic facility, including the installation of power-saving LED lights (shown above). PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

• Cover