500 Cummings Center Parking Deck Solar Installation

Click here to see a time lapse video of the construction of the 530KW solar installation on the support structure above the parking deck behind 500 Cummings Center in Beverly, MA.

Cummings Properties recently partnered with client firm Save Energy Systems to test the potential of a new energy management system at its Woburn headquarters.  The Demand Limiting Control system regulates the office’s rooftop HVAC units, and allows Cummings Properties to see real-time data on its HVAC use.

By controlling the number of units operating at one time, the system reduces the company’s HVAC-related electrical demand charges, which has resulted in an average savings of 10 percent on Cummings Properties’ electric bill.  According to the firm’s sustainability manager, Gary Gresh, Cummings Properties is very pleased with the results of the test, and is now considering deploying the system at other locations in its portfolio.  More information about this pilot project is available in Save Energy Systems’ case study.

This project is the latest in a series of energy efficiency improvements at the headquarters. Since 2007, Cummings Properties has:

• installed new rooftop HVAC units

• upgraded all office lighting to high efficiency fixtures

• installed lighting motion sensors throughout the office

• replaced lobby spotlights and all recessed lights with LED lighting

• installed a vending miser on the vending machine to reduce energy use during off hours

• added window tinting to reduce solar gain in the summer and help retain heat in the winter

Together, these efforts have reduced the office’s electric use by nearly 30 percent annually.

Governor celebrates green business and life sciences
at Cummings Center

BEVERLY, Mass., June 1, 2012 – Governor Deval Patrick participated yesterday in a ribbon cutting ceremony for Cummings Center’s major new solar installation, atop West Garage at the corner of Elliott and McKay Streets.

Almost 200 local residents and employees gathered to hear the Commonwealth’s top official speak about two of his administration’s priorities: encouraging green business practices and growing a robust local life sciences industry.

Other government officials participating in the event included Commissioner Mark Sylvia of Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, Senate Majority Leader Fred Berry, State Representative Jerry Parisella, Mayor Bill Scanlon, and Ward 3 City Councilor Jim Latter.

According to Cummings Center’s vice president and general manager, Steve Drohosky, the business and technology campus already hosts 600 kilowatts of solar arrays. With two more very large installations in development, he expects Cummings Center’s solar projects will eventually exceed 1.5 megawatts, saving an estimated $2.5 million in energy costs annually.

Dennis Clarke, president and CEO of Cummings Properties, noted that Cummings Center itself is a major recycling project. Formerly home to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, the neglected parcel evolved into a derelict brown fields site. The Woburn-based commercial real estate firm purchased it in 1996, and retained much of the historic structure while transforming the property into a model green business campus.

Governor Patrick told the audience, “I stand before you proudly to endorse Cummings Center and the whole Cummings organization for their exceptional business stewardship.”

Other recent green projects at Cummings Center include the installation of 12,000 energy efficient light fixtures, dozens of super high efficiency gas-fired boilers and, in cooperation with client firm Meridian Associates, an electric vehicle charging station. Three of the campus’ buildings have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR certification, signifying the achievement of strict energy performance levels.

Governor Patrick also recognized Cummings Center as a site of growth for the Commonwealth’s life sciences industry. The campus is home to 40 life sciences companies, which occupy more than 500,000 square feet of office and laboratory space. According to Drohosky, this number has increased from 25 companies only four years ago.

On-site life sciences firms include giants in the field, such as Hamilton Thorne Biosciences and Waters Technologies, as well as promising new companies, like Enzymatics and Sage Science. Cummings Properties is also a sponsor of North Shore InnoVentures, which operates the Biotech InnoVenture Center at Cummings Center. This not-for-profit incubator offers shared laboratory space to six early-stage companies. 

Groundwater for Landscaping Irrigation

Since 2009, Cummings Properties has held regular free electronic waste recycling days at many of its buildings for its clients and the public. To date, Cummings' client firm Green Network Exchange, has diverted more than 30 tons of electronic equipment away from landfills. Some of the benefits of electronic recycling include:

• Recovering valuable materials that can be used to make new products.
• Promoting responsible management of toxic chemicals in the electronic equipment such as lead and mercury.
• Saving landfill space by diverting electronic products from the waste stream.
• Creating jobs for professional recyclers and refurbishers and new markets for the valuable components that are dismantled.

Look for future electronic recycling event announcements in Cummings' email newsletter.

Gary Gresh, Cummings Properties' sustainability manager, said, "Cummings has a longstanding commitment to energy efficiency. In addition to being the right thing to do for the environment, our clients save on operating costs, which helps us attract more client firms. Everyone wins."

Built in 2004, 500 Cummings Center's original design included many "green" features, including high efficiency lighting and water source heat pumps, as well as motion sensors and variable frequency drives. After a waiting period during which the necessary data to apply to Energy Star was gathered, 500 Cummings Center was awarded the certification on its first attempt.

Built in 1996, 18 Commerce Way underwent a comprehensive, three-year energy efficiency upgrade in preparation for its Energy Star evaluation. The modifications included changing all 850 lights in the building to high efficiency fixtures; installing variable frequency drives on the loop pumps and cooling tower fan; upgrading the cooling tower fan to high efficiency; installing motion sensors in the hallways; and installing a vending miser on the vending machine.

NSTAR, the building's electric utility provider, was a full partner in all of the improvements at 18 Commerce Way. According to Gresh, this Energy Star certification would not have been possible without NSTAR's support.

Commercial buildings that earn the certification use an average of 35% less energy than typical buildings and release 35% less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. These environmental benefits can have a positive impact on a company's bottom line, as research shows significant portions of the population prefer to work for or do business with organizations they perceive to be environmentally responsible.

Cummings Props. has a long history of sustainable business practices including building renovation and reuse; energy-saving design, construction, and property maintenance; utilization of recycled materials and equipment; and reduction of waste through recycling programs. Other Cummings buildings that have earned the Energy Star rating are 900 Cummings Center in Beverly, 92 Montvale Ave. in Stoneham, 196 Boston Ave. in Medford, and 370 and 420 Hemenway St. in Marlborough.

Cummings' lighting retrofit project recently expanded from five buildings to include all Company properties in NSTAR's territory that have older, inefficient lighting. This partnership with NSTAR also has expanded to include strip lights and some outside lighting. As part of this project, Cummings will retrofit many of its buildings' outdoor wall packs with LED fixtures, and hopes to include other outdoor lighting soon.

When completed, this project will retrofit nearly 12,000 light fixtures, with an estimated savings for clients of more than four million kilowatt hours annually, which is enough electricity to power more than 350 typical homes! It will also reduce carbon emissions by nearly 2,500 tons annually. The bulbs, ballasts, and metal from the old fixtures will all be recycled.

Cummings Center, with support from National Grid gas, is in the midst of a major HVAC retrofit project. All of the boilers in 100, 800 and 900 Cummings Center are being replaced with 27 smaller, high efficiency condensing boilers. The overall heating efficiency is projected to increase by more than 10 percent, resulting in an estimated savings of 115,000 therms annually! That is the equivalent of heating 120 typical homes for one year! The small size of the new boilers will also save considerable space in each mechanical room.

As part of our proactive energy efficiency program, the Company installed Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) to regulate HVAC pumps and fans in all of our buildings with central systems. These installations dramatically reduce the monthly kilowatt hours (KWH).

In just five buildings, our clients collectively save approximately $68,000 annually and enough to power more than 38 typical homes. In addition, VFDs installed on the cooling tower fans at Cummings Center last summer saved nearly $10,000 for our clients. Cummings has installed more that 75 of these energy saving devices in our buildings.

Cummings Properties has completed the third and final planned phase of its very large solar installation project at TradeCenter 128. Located atop the five-story parking garage, the project is one of the most ambitious solar ventures in the state by a corporation.

In total, the 250-kilowatt array covers the equivalent of two football fields and comprises 1,256 panels. The electric power generated, comparable to that used by more than 40 suburban homes, is tracked in real-time and can be viewed on the array's SolrenView webpage. The majority of the installation was subsidized by a grant from Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust.

The Cummings Properties Sustainability Department is pleased to announce a partnership with NSTAR to retrofit several thousand light fixtures in several Cummings Properties buildings, at no charge to clients. Older fixtures will be replaced with new energy-efficient fixtures, resulting in substantial energy savings, and additionally, suites with prismatic-lens fixtures will be upgraded to 12-cell parabolic-lens fixtures. The bulbs, ballasts, and metal from the “old” fixtures will be recycled.

400 West Cummings Park, Woburn

Work has already begun at 400 and 600 West Cummings Park, and the retrofit team will then proceed to 155 and 165 New Boston Street and 299 Washington Street in Woburn. It is estimated that once completed, the lighting retrofit will also reduce carbon emissions by 480 tons and save more than 775,000 kWh annually–enough to power 70 typical homes for one year! We hope to expand this project to additional buildings in NSTAR territory later in the year.

New Horizons Marlborough

Cummings Properties has established extensive paper and cardboard recycling programs in the majority of properties it manages. Its recycling vendors estimate that Cummings currently recycles nearly 600 tons of paper and cardboard annually, eliminating the need to cut down approximately 8,500 trees per year! In addition to its commercial properties, a cardboard-recycling dumpster was placed into service at New Horizons assisted living facility in Marlborough, and now nearly two tons of cardboard per month is recycled at that facility alone!

900 Cummings Center receives Energy Star Distinction

900 Cummings Center has just received the prestigious Energy Star rating. This nationally recognized distinction identifies recipients as being amongst the most energy efficient buildings in the nation. Other Company buildings which have received the Energy Star rating are 92 Montvale Avenue in Stoneham and 196 Boston Avenue in Medford. Cummings Properties was also awarded Energy Star ratings for 140 senior living units at 370 and 420 Hemenway Street, Marlborough, MA.

A top to bottom restoration transformed this historic building, former United Shoe Machinery foundry building and power house, into 900 Cummings Center. The building overlooks a large freshwater pond, and is located within a 2 million square foot, 77-acre, sprawling Cummings Center business campus.

A large portion of this four-story office building is devoted to medical offices. Just minutes from Beverly Hospital, this thriving Medical Center is home to more than 150 medical practitioners including physicians, dentists, therapists, and other medical service providers. 900 Cummings Center also features a full-service restaurant, and is home to two full-service banks, at least eight accounting firms, and dozens of lawyers.

Cummings Properties' latest development, TradeCenter 128, on Interstate 95 and Route 128 in Woburn, is LEED Gold pre-certified. Client firms at TradeCenter 128 enjoy the benefits of energy-saving features in a convenient and comfortable location such as:

• Lower operating costs - Energy-efficient design and construction, high-performance glass, and premium efficiency HVAC and lighting systems.
  
  
• Lower transportation costs - On-site public transportation, dedicated bicycle storage, and preferred parking for low-emission vehicles.
  
  
• Environmentally friendly - LEED Gold shell and core pre-certification, convenient on-site recycling programs and green housekeeping.
  
  
• Plentiful natural light - With continuous glass curtainwalls and ribbon windows, client suites are awash in sunlight throughout the workday.
  
  
• Increased productivity - Operable windows, upper floor balconies and energy recovery fresh-air ventilators provide improved air quality.

This latest achievement continues Cummings Properties' long history of energy-saving construction and utilization of recycled materials, including several "Energy Star" buildings, and major recycling programs in most of its many properties. Cummings has recently established the position of Sustainability Manager to coordinate its energy saving and recycling efforts for this full service real estate firm with more than seven million square feet of office space in greater Boston.