Energy-as-a-service provider Budderfly equipped Connecticut-based Gilman Brothers Company with solar and energy efficiency upgrades to cut its energy costs and lower environmental impact.
Gilman Brothers is a 128-year-old family-owned foamboard products manufacturer based in Connecticut. The company invested $1.5 million in the project.
The project includes a 750 kW solar array. A project spokesperson told pv magazine USA the rooftop solar array included Silfab 500 W modules, a Unirac RM10 mounting system and SolarEdge inverters.
Over the 15-year service agreement, Gilman Brothers is expected to lower its energy costs by up to 30%. The company is also expected to cut carbon emissions from electricity consumption in half, avoiding carbon emissions equivalent to roughly 2,100 gasoline powered vehicles.
The company has a long history of investing in energy. In the 1920s, a local river that powered the mill dried up, and the company founded Bozrah Light and Power Company to keep its operations and the local community supplied with electricity.
“Gilman Brothers has long understood the operational and financial benefits of having greater control over our energy supply as well as transparency into how we’re using it,” said Jeff Blanchard, vice president of operations. “Budderfly’s holistic approach and financial model is what independent manufacturers like Gilman Brothers want—and need.”
Energy efficiency upgrades included all-new LED lighting, and an ultra-high-efficiency HVAC system and high-efficiency motors paired with variable frequency drives for the company’s operations.
Budderfly said the industrial sector partnership was a first for the company. The company operates as an energy-as-a-service provider, which means it identifies opportunities for energy use reduction, handles billing, and monitors operations of any installed equipment. The company delivers its services at over 7,000 customer sites nationwide.
“With Budderfly, we’re able to stay focused on our core mission to deliver our customers quality products while also trusting that our evolving energy needs are being met,” said Blanchard.
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