Whitney Center Continues To Upgrade Facility Infrastructure

HAMDEN, Conn. – A full-service retirement community with 244 residential units, Whitney Center campus includes a wide array of common areas, personal services, assisted living/memory support services and a licensed skilled nursing center. To keep this large community running efficiently, an operations team and a Conservation Committee of residents, staff and vendors work together to find ways to reduce Whitney Center’s carbon footprint. Pivotal to the success of these efforts, Whitney Center has benefited from the guidance and support of the engineers at their local energy company for over 20 years.

Engineers from United Illuminating (UI) and Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG), both subsidiaries of AVANGRID, provided Whitney Center with insights to interpret and verify energy audit results. Led by energy engineer Patrick Reavey, the utility created action plans for upgrades to help Whitney Center achieve the best savings.

New energy conservation goals warranted an operational assessment of the 15-acre retirement community in Hamden, Conn. After review of the energy audit, Reavey provided verification on the results, determined an action plan and confirmed that the savings were realistic for Whitney Center to make necessary updates to the facility’s 40-year-old energy infrastructure. With guidance from Reavey, major upgrades were made to Whitney Center’s lighting and heating systems resulting in an estimated $317,672 in annual energy savings.

Since financing was the largest hurdle for this project, Reavey first assisted in tailoring UI and SCG energy efficiency incentives to help make the necessary upgrades more affordable.

“There were two reasons for this project - to achieve energy savings and to address the advanced age of the equipment,” said Reavey. "It was great to see such collaboration between the building administration and its residents to accomplish these savings, it's a unique part of what made this such a successful project."

Whitney Center believes in a collaborative approach to energy efficiency and conservation efforts, and input from the committee helped guide the project.

“Our residents expect energy efficiency in our buildings and value sustainability. Our goal for the energy project was to reduce energy consumption, save money and to replace outdated equipment," said Marc Browne, Director of Special Projects. "Today’s cutting-edge practices will now be commonplace in managing our property.”

The project required re-engineering mechanical curbs and installing new structural steel with special modifications for the installation of new lighting and HVAC systems. The heat pump system was replaced in the North Building and there was an upgrade to its HVAC custom controls. Lighting was upgraded to LED fixtures in both buildings, including all resident-owned fixtures. To help create a sense of community with the project, residents were involved through polling and educational campaigns.

Following these upgrades, resident satisfaction was greatly improved and the number of monthly calls to maintenance reduced. Not only are the residents happier, said Browne, but the reduced call volume frees up engineers from working on temperature complaints so they are able to accomplish other tasks on the property.

Additional measures were taken to increase energy savings, like the installation of new pipe and steam trap insulation, and the addition of a pool cover, new chillers and domestic hot water heaters.

Whitney Center has a strong history with making energy-efficient improvements, having partnered with UI and SCG during design and construction of its south building in 2007 and to replace old rooftop HVAC equipment in their north building in 2006.

“There was a lot of collaboration that helped guide us in making good, sustainable energy-efficient decisions,” said Browne, of the energy project in 2007. “We decided to work with UI and SCG again to make these much needed upgrades, mostly to the North Building, but also to the newer South Building.”

Upon the completion of this project, the Conservation Committee will assist in measuring the energy performance of the two buildings and compare to the baseline performance each month to evaluate actual savings. The upgrades won’t end there, according to Browne, Whitney Center plans to reduce its energy use in 2019 through other green technologies, conserving waste production and water consumption.

About Whitney Center

Whitney Center is a continuing care retirement community, now commonly referred to as a life plan community, designed to accommodate people 62 years of age or older. For more than 40 years, Whitney Center residents have enjoyed confidence and peace of mind within an active, culturally rich, supportive environment. Residents of Whitney Center truly have everything they need - from beautiful private apartments to the right blend of care, services, amenities and events - to ensure they never stop enjoying a fulfilling life of choice and independence. To learn more about Whitney Center, call 203-848-2641.

About United Illuminating

The United Illuminating Company (UI) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1899, UI operates approximately 3,500 miles of electric distribution lines and 139 miles of transmission lines. It serves approximately 335,000 customers in the greater New Haven and Bridgeport areas of Connecticut. For more information, visit www.uinet.com.

About Southern Connecticut Gas

The Southern Connecticut Gas Company (SCG) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1847 and based in Orange, Connecticut, SCG serves approximately 199,000 customers across 24 communities in the greater New Haven and Bridgeport areas of Connecticut, operating more than 2,400 miles of natural gas distribution pipelines. SCG and Connecticut Natural Gas plan to invest more than $300 million in modern, reliable natural gas infrastructure between 2018 and 2022. For more information, visit www.soconngas.com.

About Energize Connecticut

Energize Connecticut helps you save money and use clean energy. It is an initiative of the State of Connecticut, the Connecticut Green Bank, Eversource, UI, SCG and CNG, with funding from a charge on customer energy bills. Information on energy-saving programs can be found at EnergizeCT.com or by calling 877.WISE.USE.