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www.CTGreenGuide.com FALL 2015 • CONNECTICUT GREEN GUIDE 5 SMART BUSINESSMAN: JOE MORUZZI Developer receives 30% rebate on $1.2M project W hen commercial real estate investor Joe Moruzzi purchased a vacant 90,000 square foot office building at 1290 Silas Deane High- way in Wethersfield, he knew right away that he needed to make significant infrastructure changes in order to attract tenants. His first order of business: upgrading the building's energy efficiency. "My No. 1 priority is creating an environment for tenants that will make them want to work and do busi- ness in the space," Moruzzi said. "At the same time, I am always looking for ways to reduce monthly costs." For large commercial properties, electrical chill- ers represent the single largest electrical load in most buildings and can account for almost half of its annual electricity use. To address this issue, Moruzzi installed a new, high efficiency chiller along with a new variable- frequency drive to further control chilled water pumping. New high efficiency boilers were also installed, which contribute to even greater energy and cost-savings. Additionally, the $1.2 million project included retrofitting the interior and exterior of the building with energy effi- cient lighting, as well as adding a new cool roof with white, heat-reflecting membranes, and energy-saving window tint. Moruzzi secured nearly $400,000 in Energize Con- necticut program rebates and incentives from Berlin electric utility Eversource Energy to offset the overall cost of the upgrades. As a result of the project, 1290 Silas Deane Highway is now saving nearly 390,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, more than 13,000 hundred cubic feet of natural gas yearly, and more than $64,000 in annual energy costs. The energy efficiency project, combined with landscape and interior design upgrades, helped transform the building from a Class B space into a Class A space. Within two years of completing the work, the property is now 100 percent oc - cupied with long-term tenants like Hartford Healthcare. "The building's high efficiency was a huge selling point for tenants," said Bob Gaucher of O,R&L Com- mercial, leasing brokers for 1290 Silas Deane Highway. "Prospective tenants want to see a modern space that is also sustainable and energy efficient, as they know that their overall costs will also be lower as a result." Moruzzi plans to replicate the success of 1290 Silas Deane Highway at a recently purchased vacant 154,000 square foot building on 200 Executive Blvd. in Southington. Mass. Blockage — In her latest effort to slow the installation of natural gas transmission pipelines — which will impact Connecticut's supply and price of the fuel — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey launched a supposedly-independent-but- probably-not study of the region's energy needs. Her efforts will impact Connecticut businesses and residents, and there is nothing anyone in this state can do about it. New Supplier Rules — Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has banned elec- tricity suppliers from using variable rate contracts, which had subjected ratepayers being to sky- high costs. Meanwhile, regulators modified utility bills so ratepayers can easily understand their supplier options. These protections are needed for a utility customer base not yet ready to be responsive to the shifting energy market. Eagle Flight — For the second straight year, a pair of bald eagles in Windsor Locks success- fully fledged an eaglet to maturity, thanks to the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection shutting down the trail until the young bird was ready to fly. DEEP certainly causes businesses a lot of headaches, but the underappreciated state workers who are out protecting our natural re- sources deserve every bit of our gratitude. Bravo. Grade: D Grade: B Grade: A+ The Silas Deane Highway development achieved 100 percent occupancy after making energy efficiency upgrades. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED