400 McLevin Avenue

Installed in 2017, the original system replaced an old boiler with a Capstone C65 ICHP microturbine unit, which generated electricity for over half of the electricity needs for the common areas. During the generation process, the waste heat provided the building and its residents with both hot water year-round and heat during the cold months of the year. Building on the success of the CHP system and recognizing the potential for even greater energy savings and efficiency, the McLevin operations team decided to pursue a more robust trigeneration system.

In 2020, they added a second C65 ICHP unit, and in the fall of 2021, they added a 100-ton direct exhaust absorption chiller capable of producing 81 tons of refrigeration from the combined exhaust of the two C65 microturbines. The result is an extremely efficient combined cooling heat and power solution that provides nearly all of the electricity for the common areas and is able to utilize all heat produced year round. This includes air conditioning beginning in the summer of 2022, which, by offsetting the existing inefficient electric chiller, will result in even more savings.