NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Taking care of business is their motto. The Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce (GNHCC) is leading their community of entrepreneurs by example, participating in energy efficiency programs to help ensure their facilities are running at peak performance.

“This program is so easy and efficient, it is unbelievable. We wish we participated sooner. Utility bills, like health insurance costs, are necessities that we have to pay for, but if we can reduce them somehow, that money can be used in so many ways to help businesses in the region,” said GNHCC President Anthony Rescigno.

The mission of the GNHCC is to provide partner services, like advocacy, networking, economic development and leadership events, to help promote regional growth. Educating and providing cost saving ideas for the businesses they advise makes GNHCC a vital asset to the communities they serve: Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, East Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Wallingford, West Haven and Woodbridge.

United Illuminating (UI), a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc., helped in determining the Small Business Energy Advantage program would be the best fit for their facility to maximize cost savings. GNHCC was able to reduce energy costs and improve lighting for their entire office. Roughly 256 LED fixtures were installed during this project, including linear, recessed and exit sign lights. The GNHCC is projected to save an estimated $5,169 annually through the lighting upgrades. According to Rescigno, the energy savings realized will also benefit employees and lower maintenance costs.

“We are all much more aware of the importance of energy conservation and remind our staff to turn off lights when not in use,” Rescigno said. “We are offsetting our operational costs and are sharing best practices with our partners so that they can also take advantage of this energy program, with little effort on their part.”

Rescigno said that they are already experiencing the savings, which has helped “greatly reduce” their energy bills. The energy program initiative chosen has a short payback of 2.5 years, after which upgrades will continue to save the GNHCC money. While they have no plans to perform any other energy upgrades immediately, Rescigno said that the Chamber would like to consider more energy efficiency opportunities to save in operating costs.

“The Greater New Haven Chamber benefits so many communities, industries and local businesses, which makes their operational cost savings that much more important said Dennis O’Connor, Small Business Energy Advantage Program Administrator at UI. “Helping a service organization with many local partners to identify energy incentives and save money can exponentially create positive impact for an entire region of the state.”

About Energize Connecticut
Energize Connecticut helps you save money and use clean energy. It is an initiative of the State of Connecticut, the Connecticut Green Bank, Eversource, UI, SCG and CNG, with funding from a charge on customer energy bills. Information on energy-saving programs can be found at EnergizeCT.com or by calling 877.WISE.USE.

About The Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce:

The Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce has been influential for over two centuries in shaping public policy and fostering business growth. Their mission is to provide unrivaled partner services and lead regional economic growth through bold and effective advocacy in the south central Connecticut region– comprising the municipalities of Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Wallingford, West Haven, and Woodbridge.

About UI

United Illuminating (UI) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR). Established in 1899, UI is engaged in the purchase, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity and related services to approximately 333,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the greater New Haven and Bridgeport areas of Connecticut. For more information, visit www.uinet.com.