Cambridge Rindge And Latin School Saves Energy With Help From NSTAR

Upgrades will lower electricity use by over one million kilowatt-hours annually

The City of Cambridge’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint is dramatically lowering energy use and is now also benefiting students at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS). Several energy-saving improvements, installed with technical support and financial incentives from NSTAR, are combining to lower CRLS’s annual energy use by more than 1.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and nearly 44,000 therms of natural gas. We anticipate the energy savings will also lower the school’s utility bills by over $335,000 a year.

“We’re proud of our role in helping local cities and towns with their commitment to reducing energy use through improved efficiency,” said Penni Conner, NSTAR’s Vice-President of Customer Care. “Along with the technical assistance we provide, the financial incentives available through NSTAR’s programs shorten the payback time associated with installing new, high-efficiency equipment.”

In addition to ongoing energy savings and a significant reduction in monthly energy bills, the City of Cambridge is receiving a check from NSTAR for over $226,000 to offset the cost of purchasing the high-efficiency equipment installed as part of this project.

“The City and NSTAR have partnered successfully in building energy efficiency projects, with the CRLS project being the largest of those,” said Cambridge City Manager Robert. W. Healy. “It is my intention to reinvest the money in even more energy efficient building projects.”

NSTAR’s energy experts worked with the city’s project manager and CRLS staff to target energy efficiency opportunities including improved lighting and more effective use of natural daylight; efficient air-handling systems to improve comfort and eliminate unnecessary energy use; and efficient boilers, pumps and motors to reduce the amount of energy needed to heat the school and provide hot water. A new natural gas powered cogeneration unit is now powering the Media Arts building and providing heat and hot water to the school in the winter. In the summer, the cogeneration unit will be used to heat the pools at the Cambridge War Memorial Recreation Center. The project was designed to achieve a LEED Silver certification.

The school department also launched the Cambridge Green Schools Initiative (CGSI) this year, with a major goal of lowering carbon use through energy tracking, data measurement, and efficiency projects. “The Cambridge Public Schools look forward to a continued partnership with NSTAR and the City as we unite in the effort to lower our carbon footprint,” said Kristen von Hoffmann, CPSD Sustainability Manager.

To learn more, view HMFH Architects' Sustainable Tour of CRLS Brochure.

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Pictured in this photo: Holding check are CRLS Interim Principal Damon Smith, CRLS students, and Penni Conner, NSTAR’s Vice-President of Customer Care. Photo courtesy of Ini Tomeu.

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