Mixed-use complex gets energy efficiency upgrades
The Hamden Center II office has undergone a $250,000 energy efficiency overhaul.
The improvements to the complex were done by Shelton-based Budderfly, an energy management outsourcing company. Hamden Center II, at the intersection of Whitney and Dixwell avenues, has 80,000 square feet of office space with a three-story parking garage and 20,000 square feet of retail space spread across several buildings.
The mixed-use complex is owned by New Haven-based real estate firm CA White. Michael Schaffer, the head of CA White’s commercial real estate business, said by working with Budderfly, which provided the upfront capital for the upgrades, “we were able to upgrade and modernize for efficiency immediately, not slowly over the course of years.”
“That also meant an immediate cut in our energy spending — particularly in lighting,” Schaffer said. “But it wasn’t until the COVID-19 development that we really understood the benefits of granular controls over every square foot of the building.”
COVID-19 totally changed the normal operating routine at Hamden Center II, as the need arose to shut down many parts of the complex during the daytime based on new usage patterns.
“As tenants reduced their shortterm occupancy we could respond immediately,” Schaffer said.
Budderfly has an unique business model. The company not only provides all the up-front capital for equipment installations, but also the costs associated with maintaining and monitoring the energy efficiency upgrades at the complex.
“We don’t believe our customers should have to spend their own money to go green and save,” Al Subbloie, Budderfly’s founder and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “And that could be a commercial client like CA White, a franchise restaurant owner, or even a school system or a community college. Budderfly ensures that our customers enjoy all the benefits with none of the risk and hassle of a typical energy efficiency project.”
Budderfly creates an initial 10-year relationship with clients and continues to invest in improvements in order to maximize energy savings, according Matthew Nemerson, a vice president with the company and a former economic development administrator for the city of New Haven.
“We continuously upgrade the lighting, HVAC and control sensors and systems based on new technologies and our actual month by month experiences,” Nemerson said. “We collect so much data on each piece of equipment and part of the building that we know where we can invest to do better in the future.”
Budderfly works to save between 30 percent and 40 percent of the monthly utility bill from when the contract starts, he said.
“We pay for everything: the planning, the equipment, the installation, the monitoring and data collection and the maintenance,” Nemerson said. “We then share savings with our clients, guaranteeing them a base amount from the start regardless of how we do and then sharing above a set amount that allows us to cover the costs of everything listed above.”
Budderfly works with many fast-food franchisees nationwide, including Subway, KFC and Round Table Pizza, he said. Connecticut clients include Chabaso, Science Park and Something Sweet.