The Hidden Benefits of Investing in a CHP System

You may have heard about the benefits of a combined heat and power (CHP) system such as lowering a building’s overall energy cost and buffering against power outages, as we discussed previously in ETS FastTrak.

ETS has discovered another use for CHP systems that makes an even stronger financial case for building owners investing in this technology: using CHP systems to lower energy usage in mixed-use areas of their buildings, such as retail spaces and common areas.

This innovative approach to using a CHP system can help your building operations, commercial tenants, and residential tenants save energy and money. It can also help you meet corporate sustainability goals. Let’s look at two examples of how to apply this innovative approach:

Rethinking spaces. Many apartment buildings have mixed-use spaces in the lobby level, which they rent to retail tenants. Retail tenants might believe that they can’t utilize a CHP unit because they don’t have space for it in their leased areas. What they might not realize is that there’s plenty of space just on the other side of the wall.

Retail tenants and building owners might not think to have a discussion about where it’s possible to put a CHP unit. But if you have this discussion, you can literally rethink the existing space of your building to lower energy costs, lower its carbon footprint, and provide better value and experience to the retail tenants in the building.

Spreading the wealth. A CHP system’s efficiency improves when its waste heat is diverted and used for other purposes. However, in a large residential building, sometimes there isn’t enough waste heat to use for tenant applications such as heating the water used in apartments.

However, retail tenants might be able to use that waste heat to heat their water. Having the retail tenants use the waste heat improves the economics of CHP for the building owner. It also makes the retail tenants happier because they’re saving money.

These hidden benefits provide even more reasons to invest in a CHP system. And you often can get financial help with some of that investment in the form of CHP rebates and other incentive programs.

Your CHP system will become a value-add investment that doesn’t just lower your energy costs and give you energy resiliency. It can make your retail tenants happier — which may induce them to stay with you longer.

[cta]Corporate sustainability isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a sound business strategy. Contact ETS to learn how energy efficiency can be part of your sustainability program.[/cta]