Case Studies

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Preserving literary history via climate mitigation: a plan for decarbonizing the Concord Free Public Library

Libraries are finding new and innovative ways to endure, structurally and purposefully, for future generations. This New England landmark is carving its path to a carbon-free future.

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Museum-quality efficiency upgrades

Isabella Stewart Gardner was famously precise in her vision and oversight of her museum’s creation. GreenerU is helping this masterpiece of an institution in meeting its sustainability goals—both in working toward climate neutrality and in operating the museum in perpetuity.

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Living in the heart of an historic cultural and educational goldmine—with an eye toward the future of our planet

In Brookline, on the edge of Boston, the Dexter Park apartments are ideally situated for students, museum-goers, movie-lovers, and classical music aficionados. They are also an example of forward-thinking energy-efficiency measures.

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Climate neutrality on college campuses: efforts, challenges, and solutions

From college presidents to the U.S. President, there is a growing drumbeat from leadership nationwide to address the climate crisis. The general consensus is that the path to mitigating climate change is clear: achieving climate neutrality. This article is a look at the current state of climate neutrality efforts, challenges, and solutions on college campuses.

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GreenerMass helps The Governor’s Academy save energy, reduce emissions, and prepare for a climate-resilient future

Founded in 1763, the oldest continuously operating boarding school in New England continues to undertake steps to keep its campus operating efficiently. Thanks to GreenerMass, the burden of funding first costs for energy-efficiency projects is alleviated.

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Enabling their best work: increasing comfort levels of mental health educators and students through financed building improvements

William James College, located in Newton, Mass., offers accredited mental health professional training programs, including a program that trains veterans training to treat other veterans. Financing from GreenerMass has made it possible to begin addressing issues with building comfort, improving the physical environment for students and educators.

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Communing through food, collaborating for a healthy planet

Here’s how one university has joined their reputation for excellence in dining with an efficient sustainability metric tracking system through community-distributed responsibility—and won awards for both.

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What do squirrels, space travel, and deep-energy retrofits have in common? Hint: it’s about powering down

Over more than 200 years, one Ivy League medical school has launched some of the most important discoveries in history. Now it’s investigating ways to make its campus buildings perform better and use less energy...much like the squirrels they study.

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System change, not climate change: how K-12 schools are addressing sustainability for a generation of climate activists

Nearly 4 million people participated in worldwide climate strikes last September, in solidarity with 17-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who made the trek to New York City across the Atlantic by boat. It’s no coincidence that teenagers are some of the most engaged climate activists today. How are their schools rising to the challenge?

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Mount Holyoke College soon to see $96,000 annually from 2015 energy services agreement

In 2014, GreenerU worked with MassDevelopment to develop a program called Mass College Green, in which up-front financing was provided to pay for energy conservation measures. With no upfront capital investment, the college pays only for delivered energy savings over a five-year financing period and sees a net positive cash flow, resulting from energy cost savings. After the five-year payback period, the college will enjoy even greater cost benefits, realizing the entirety of the energy cost savings.

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Value management: how constructing Brooks School’s Center for the Arts innovated collaboration in engineering design

In 2016, in partnership with Consigli Construction Co., Brooks School began planning its brand-new Center for the Arts and right from the beginning involved GreenerU in all mechanical and electrical aspects of the design, including an enabling project that included a steam system relocation and a chilled water plant for the new Arts Center. The result is a beautiful new arts space that delights students and facility managers alike.

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Negotiating for the future: a $368,000 utility incentive helps Dean College overhaul its campus lighting

In Franklin, Mass., Dean College cements its 19th-century legacy with sustainable 21st-century technology. A $368,000 National Grid utility incentive and zero-interest payment plan GreenerU negotiated paved the way. It’s a campus-wide lighting redesign that pays for itself.

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Waterfalls, gorges, and environmental stewardship: how Ithaca College is getting to carbon neutrality through laboratory efficiency

Amidst a paradise of waterfalls, gorges, and the Finger Lakes, Ithaca College is taking steps to preserve its natural surroundings through a commitment to 100% carbon neutrality by 2050. One of the first steps: cut energy use on campus.

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Thoreauness: Concord Academy among the first independent schools in the Northeast to develop comprehensive sustainability plan

Concord Academy embraces the practice of common trust: a deep-seated responsibility towards their community and their world, including the built and natural environments. The independent school for grades 9-12 in the home of environmentalists Thoreau and Emerson is developing a plan to tie the town’s history and the founding principles of their community for the betterment of their future.

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University of New Haven completes five-year energy program, now seeing $100,000 in annual energy savings ahead

Question: What do you get when you combine a green bank, a utility provider, an energy solutions provider, and a university? The answer: modernized HVAC and lighting controls, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and substantial ongoing energy cost savings.

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MSPCA-Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaica Plain gets a deep energy retrofit with more than $500,000 in utility incentives

Faced with the prospect of a $2+ million investment in converting their heating system, it would have been easy to justify narrowly defining the project scope in an effort to minimize capital expense. Instead, MSPCA had GreenerU take a holistic look at the medical center’s energy systems and develop a plan that would best serve the facility for the next 50 years.

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Engineered solutions + a behavior change program = reduced dormitory energy loss by more than 50%

The dorm energy-efficiency project (DEEP) at Brown University took a look at ways to discourage students from opening their windows during the wintertime when the heat was on.

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The Big Green: Dartmouth College confronts one of the foremost challenges facing humankind

Dartmouth envisions its campus as a place where operations are reimagined to prioritize human and environmental well-being, piloting the best solutions. GreenerU went behind the scenes to help connect this historic campus with building efficiency.

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Right-sizing laboratory ventilation: Smith’s Ford Hall gets an energy retrofit using a three-pronged approach

Ford Hall, a science laboratory building, was one of the top energy users on the Smith College campus. GreenerU helped to calibrate laboratory ventilation while balancing air quality, addressing environmental safety concerns while lowering energy use.

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A chiller way to cool a campus: GreenerU saves Smith money through a thoughtful approach to cooling

Smith College’s 4,100-ton chilled water plant was due for an upgrade…or maybe a downgrade.

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Big energy savings in the Big Apple: GreenerU helps the School of Visual Arts slay a dragon

Thanks to $62,000 in utility incentives and a number of improvements, the climate is under control at 133 W 21st Street.

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Cheesesteak subs at Boston College: how a dining hall cut its carbon calories (and still makes 16,000 meals a day)

80,000 Screaming Eagles sold per year. 714 calories per sandwich. 14,300 students on campus. $63,445 in utility incentives. And $121,000 in annual energy savings, thanks to ventilation improvements at one of Boston College’s busiest dining halls.

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Continuous commissioning: how “sparks” have pinpointed needles in haystacks for facilities managers

Building automation systems (BAS) have greatly improved our ability to manage building temperatures, adjust lighting levels, and control systems to maximize occupants’ comfort and save on energy costs. But with increased amounts of data to follow, pinpointing where equipment is failing can be like finding a needle in a haystack.

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