8B — April 15 - 28, 2016 — New Jersey — M id A tlantic
Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
S outhern N ew J ersey Hutchinson Mechanical serves as contractor for 370-room community The Fountains at Cedar Parke saves big with energy-saving technologies
h e n M u r p h y Vandervelde pur- chased The Foun- tains at Cedar Parke, a 370- room Continuing Care Retire- ment Community situated on a 27-acre campus in Atco, NJ, he noticed right away that utility expenses were completely out of whack. It’s no wonder as the 336,000 s/f building was equipped with original (outdated) 25+ year- old heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and excessive, inefficient lighting. To address this utility night- mare, Murphy looked into energy programs with the W
State of New Jersey and was referred to several contrac- tors, including Hutchinson Mechanical Services . “I was impressed with Hutchinson’s knowledge about the state’s energy programs and credit and rebate offerings. It’s clear that they fully understand the process.” When looking into phased upgrades for The Fountains, which is home to 350 residents and 240 employees, it was important for Murphy to keep safety, security and comfort top of mind. Hutchinson con- ducted an energy assessment and made recommendations
lighting technology from T12’s to new state- of- the-art light- ing. This one step alone re- duced electric consumption by nearly 17%. Hutchinson also installed motion sensors in the three-story, six-wing building. Previously, hallway lights would stay on all night. “Now, the lights are turned off at night but if residents venture into the hallway, the lighting will automatically turn on, keeping them safe,” said Murphy. Hutchinson also converted HVAC equipment and hot wa- ter heaters in one of the build- ing’s wings – all three floors totaling 48,400 s/f– from elec- tric to natural gas. “From the outset, we’re seeing savings of 40 percent,” said Murphy. HVAC systems, air handlers and controls were upgraded as well. Tackling “Energy Hogs” Murphy says the one piece of the puzzle that was miss- ing was how to interpret the electric bill. “Even though us- age was going down from the upgraded lighting and HVAC, we weren’t seeing the propor- tionate monetary savings in other parts of the building as our peak demand was still high. Hutchinson determined the reason for this spike is The Fountains’ energy “hogs” were running simultaneously during the highest capacity of usage or “peak time” when they were being billed for us- age. To reduce energy usage, Hutchinson is installing a new control system so the spikes in demand will be dampened during peak usage times. As a result, The Fountains will realize even more savings. Avoid Up-Front Capital with Financing Thanks to Hutchinson’s partnership with Constella- tion, a leading competitive energy company, The Foun- tains was able to start these projects sooner because they could finance over a few years, rather than pay upfront. “Hutchinson made every- thing seamless and easy by taking charge and navigating the entire process,” says Mur- phy. “It’s daunting to figure out the rebates and credits and the overall process. I would have spent months trying to figure it out on my own. Work- ing with Hutchinson enabled my team and me to focus on our business. Our biggest decision was deciding which project we should start first.” n
The Fountains at Cedar Parke
that would reduce energy consumption and lower util- ity bills, without comprising safety and comfort.
Energy Efficiency Up- grades Generate Savings The first order of business was upgrading the 1990s
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George Hutchinson III, LMP. Plumbing License Number 6311. 888-777-4501 • hutchbiz.com
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