It was four years ago when management at Duncaster Inc., a continuing care retirement community in Bloomfield, decided it was time to reduce the facility’s impact on the environment while cutting operating costs.
“We’re a not-for-profit, so we’re on a restricted budget,” said Lou DeSario, director of facilities and project management at Duncaster. “If we did not (take these steps), we probably would not be in business today.”
Duncaster is this year’s recipient of the Hartford Business Journal Energy Summit’s Conservation-Organization award.
From 2006 through 2009, Duncaster reduced the cost of its electrical consumption by 27 percent.
One of the major energy saving measures Duncaster has implemented is the installation of co-generational units in the nursing home, main building and in the aquatic and fitness center. The units allow Duncaster to produce its own electricity so it is not relying on the electric grid for all of its needs. The units allow the facility to save a total of $245,000 each year, officials said.
“The big savings on co-generation is using excess thermal energy to preheat the building system hot water for boilers and domestic water,” DeSario said. “Your equipment is not running to have to do that job, and you’re saving electricity and fuel by using the excess thermal energy.”
Duncaster secured grant funding through the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) to help complete the project, which results in a total return on investment in less than 2 1/2 years.
DeSario said lights in the facility have been retrofitted to replace old magnetic ballasts with electronic ballasts. Old C12 bulbs have been replaced with newer, more efficient T8 bulbs, which don’t take as long to heat up or illuminate.
New stairwell lighting has been installed that is motion activated.
“The lights are at 10 percent illumination until someone opens the door, then it goes to 100 percent,” DeSario said. “Those lights are now hardly ever on — they’re at 10 percent probably 90 percent of the time.”
In all, 150 fixtures have been replaced, and DeSario expects to recoup the cost in less than four years.
Other energy-saving initiatives have included changing the exterior emergency lights to LED lights, resulting in a 70 percent savings in operating costs; the installation of motion sensors for the lights in every mechanical and electrical room, and changing the internal transformers to Energy Star equipment.
“The Energy Star transformers use less power and run cooler, so you don’t have to cool the rooms down that they’re in,” DeSario said.
Following the completion of energy audits in all of the residents’ apartments, further energy-reducing steps are being taken. About 50 windows have been replaced with more energy-efficient ones, and more will be replaced in the future. Resident apartment air conditioning units are being replaced with high-efficiency units that use a refrigerant that does not harm the ozone layer. For each unit that is replaced, Duncaster receives a rebate from the CEEF.
Duncaster has also taken advantage of special pricing from Northeast Utilities on energy-efficient light bulbs.
“We did a light bulb exchange program, where we were able to change 1,500 incandescent lamps (from the 200 resident rooms) to compact fluorescent lamps,” DeSario said. “Through NU, we were able to purchase 1,000 bulbs for a minimum price.”
Future projects include the construction of a dining room addition using all LED lighting and replacement of street lamps and walkway lamps with LEDs.
DeSario said Duncaster, which was one of eight organizations nationwide selected for the 2007 Energy Star Award for Small Businesses and Congregations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has participated in a renewable Energy Credit (REC) program. Duncaster has sold the RECs on the open market, resulting in additional revenue. He said the facility is looking to save money while doing good by the environment any way it can.
“Our utility bills would be about $1.5 million today (without these measures), and our goal is to be under $1 million,” he said. “This is what we had to do to keep operating.”
