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NORESCO converts central steam plant to decentralized building specific boilers. |
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NORESCO recently completed two of the largest energy and water related public housing construction projects of their kind at the Boston Housing Authority's (BHA) Mary Ellen McCormack and West Broadway developments. The BHA chose to creatively finance this construction through the utility savings gained over a ten-year performance contract with NORESCO.
The $8.6 million contract for the HUD assisted Mary Ellen McCormack site resulted in the abandonment of the central heating system and the installation of gas-fired steam boilers to provide heat and domestic hot water. The project also included the replacement of approximately 5,000 steam traps, the installation of a central energy management system, and the installation of low-flush toilets, low-flow showerheads, and faucet aerators at 35 buildings comprising almost 1,000 apartments.
Work at the state-assisted West Broadway development resulted in the conversion of twenty apartment buildings from a centralized steam distribution to a decentralized system with individual boilers in each building. Four of the twenty buildings were converted just a few months after contract signature. Annual heating costs for each apartment have been reduced from $1,870 per unit prior to construction to just $387 per unit today. This translates into an astounding 79% reduction in heating costs for the BHA. The remaining measures included a mix of building shell improvements, domestic hot water conversions, energy management controls, and water conservation retrofits.
Today, residents in more than 500 apartments in 221 buildings are benefiting from greater comfort levels and improved quality of life through more consistent unit temperatures and more reliable domestic water systems as a result of these improvements.
Recently, the BHA was honored by the U. S. Department of Energy's ("DOE") Rebuild America program. The BHA won the prestigious Public and Affordable Housing "Energy Champion of the Year" award over 325 competitors. The work completed by NORESCO at the Mary Ellen McCormack and West Broadway developments was a major component of the BHA's comprehensive energy efficiency strategy that was recognized by DOE.
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