Aug 5 2015
Tecogen® Inc. today announced the sale of two InVerde® Ultra, INV-100, combined heat and power (CHP) units for installation in the Findlay Teller apartment complex located in the Crotona East section of the Bronx.
The units will provide a significant portion of the facility's electricity and heating needs and serve as a backup power source in the event of a Consolidated Edison blackout.
The building, constructed in the early part of the twentieth century as a hospital, has a long history and contains rich architectural detail. Converted to subsidized senior housing in 1978, it had fallen into disrepair and went into foreclosure. In 2009, with the support of tenants and neighborhood leaders, the Belmont Arthur Avenue Local Development Corporation established the Findlay Teller Housing Development Fund Corporation to acquire and rehabilitate the property. The renovation was completed in 2014 and today the Findlay Teller offers 32 one-bedroom and 131 efficiency units, all affordable and completely refurbished.
The Tecogen CHP units will supply energy to the facility throughout the year at a much higher efficiency than the utility, resulting in projected annual savings of $150,000 and a lowering of the building's carbon footprint. The units will be equipped with Tecogen's patented low emissions system, Ultra, which will lower criteria emissions from the CHP units, the pollutants related to smog, to near zero levels. These low emissions are well below local air permit requirements and meet the strictest standards, like those in Southern California.
"In completing the renovations, we adhered to the very strict requirements of the Enterprise Green Communities (EGC) Criteria," said Joe Cicciu, president, Findlay Teller Housing Development Fund Corporation, Bronx, NY, which owns and manages the apartments. "The EGC Criteria resulted in a property that is very frugal in its energy needs, while the Tecogen system assures us that the modest amount of energy that is consumed is produced by the highly efficient CHP process."
"It has been a pleasure to work with the Findlay Teller team," said Robert Panora, President and COO of Tecogen. "They understand energy and its long-term costs and place a high value on sustainability. This project sets a fine example for the many similar buildings in the region."