Cummings Goes Green Big In Upgrade of 40 Buildings

WOBURN — Cummings Properties, a pioneering proponent of green practices, is continuing the commitment to sustainability for its 10-million-sf portfolio, recently completing a year-long energy efficiency project covering 40 properties. The endeavor will save tenants nearly $1 million collective dollars per year in energy costs, according to the landlord, and will conserve 5.5 million kilowatt hours annually, enough electricity to power 550 homes in that timeframe. The overhaul of nearly 15,000 light fixtures in the Woburn, Stoneham, Sudbury, and Burlington holdings—some constructed in the 1970s—is consistent with a track record of sustainable practices, Cummings officials explain, with the focus dating back to when recycling was considered cutting-edge.

“It has been a company-wide policy since our inception to re-use and recycle and to (expend) as little energy as possible,” says Gary Gresh, who has been Cummings Properties’ sustainability manager since 2008. The latest project follows completion of a similar-sized lighting retrofit at the Cummings Center in Beverly, the site of the former United Shoe Machinery Corp. and at 2 million sf one of the world’s largest industrial plant recycling projects ever. Cummings is also installing a solar panel system at that campus, with phase two currently underway.

Cummings has already garnered accolades for TradeCenter 128, their LEED Gold-certified 500,000-sf property along Route 128 in Woburn which incorporates a myriad of green innovations, among them stormwater management, premium efficiency HVAC and lighting systems, a computer-controlled energy management system, and the use of high-recycled content construction materials. The most prominent green feature there is a huge grid of solar panels (1,256) which powers 40 percent of the park’s common areas. Besides the lighting improvements, Cummings recently installed variable frequency drivers in buildings with central heating and cooling systems to calibrate pump and fan speeds to match demand, says Gresh, resulting in a dramatic decrease in electrical consumption.

Cummings also incorporated another key component of sustainable practices for the lighting project, hiring closely held affiliate Atlantic Boston Construction and Woburn-based subcontractors B.F. Garvey & Sons Electrical Contractors. The projects were done in partnership with NSTAR, who provided technical assistance and financial backing. “We are pleased to have partnered with Cummings Properties on this significant energy efficiency project,” NSTAR Program Manager Augustine Pimentel says in a prepared statement, terming the opportunity to work with firms committed to reducing energy use “a pleasure” that the energy provider is hoping will inspire other owners.

The effort required a lot of coordination, Gresh recounts, but tenants were cooperative “for the most part, especially since we told them that it wasn’t going to cost them anything,” he laughs. “And most raved about the quality of the lights as well.” That sentiment was underscored by Louis Guarracina of HighRes Biosolutions, praising the landlord for minimal disruption to the work environment. “The work was done quickly and efficiently,” he says, adding, “the new fixtures produce much better light, and the fact that they have saved us money is even better.”