Challenge
When Park City Communities was offered the opportunity by CMC to overhaul its lighting equipment at Trumbull Gardens, its public housing complex in Bridgeport’s North End, it enthusiastically accepted. They quickly saw it as a highly effective way to improve safety by creating better visibility in high-crime areas, help residents reduce their utility costs, and avoid future maintenance costs.
Over the years, outdoor lighting had become increasingly inefficient throughout the community’s 55 townhomes and two high-rise towers. Indoors, the lighting in the complex’s 414 residential units also needed to be upgraded.
It was the largest single retrofit that CMC had undertaken in the past decade, and required a coordinated effort to conduct the retrofit as efficiently as possible, with minimal disruption to the community’s residents.
Solution
Funded through a partnership between Park City Communities and United Illuminating (a subsidiary of AVANGIRD, Inc.), the project was initiated by CMC through a series of outreach activities to the Trumbull community.
Through the Home Energy Solutions-Income Eligible (HES-IE) program, United Illuminating contributed $208,000 for the indoor lighting upgrades in the two high-rise towers, enabling Park City Communities to allocate funds for the high-efficiency lighting in the outdoor areas. In all, more than 1,280 ENERGY STARâ-certified LED lighting fixtures were installed.
“With the help of CMC Energy Services, an upgrade of lighting within the complex was perfectly timed to coincide with planned maintenance at Trumbull Gardens,” says Diedra Perry, Interim Director of Asset Management for Park City Communities.
Results
From CMC’s initial outreach to final installation, the project took nine months. Tenants feel safer in the community, are much more comfortable in their units, and their utility bills have decreased. One resident, Sandra Collins, interviewed in The Connecticut Post, said the brighter lights will keep “lurkers” away from the buildings and parking lots. “There’s many people who are very pleased with the work that was done,” she said.
“United Illuminating is grateful for CMC Energy Services for identifying this opportunity at Trumbull Gardens. In addition to generating energy savings and related environmental benefits, the lighting upgrade improves the overall quality and safety of UI customers’ homes,” said Maritza Estremera, Program Administrator for United Illuminating.
The installation of the LED lights also will contribute to significant reductions in energy and environmental impact as well, saving more than 386,000 kWh in electricity use yearly. That’s the equivalent of taking 143,591 cars off the road, or eliminating the energy use of 8,986 homes. The total cost savings? “We expect the project to save more than $70,000 in energy costs each year” says Joe Roy, CMC Energy Services Connecticut Branch Manager.
414 Residential units upgraded
1,280 ENERGY STARâ-certified LED lighting fixtures installed
$208,000 In indoor lighting upgrades
386,000 kWh Annual energy savings
$70,000 Annual energy savings
Next Steps
The CMC team has been doing retrofit installations of multi-residential properties for more than a decade, and has serviced over 400 properties, representing more than 30,000 residential units. “We’re committed to helping decrease energy usage, save on energy bills, and reduce environmental impact throughout Connecticut,” says Jordan Tuttle, Multifamily Division Supervisor at CMC. “We take a comprehensive approach when retrofitting a property, looking at all measures for energy savings and capital improvements, and we’re proud of our ability to contribute to the quality of life for so many Connecticut residents.”