Windrows
Goes Green
Life just got a little “greener” at the Princeton Windrows retirement independent living community.
That’s because four old rooftop air conditioners at Windrows Hall — a 330,000-square foot, five-floor, midrise and club house building at the heart of the 35-acre community — have been removed and replaced with two high-efficiency units that are projected to reduce energy consumption by 21 percent in the first year. The new units were lifted by crane on July 26.
The community invested $538,000 for the new cooling units, adding to the $500,000 it has already spent since it launched its green initiative in 2008.
According to a press release, the new units are expected to reduce the community’s utility expenditures by $100,000 annually. Because it falls in line with the requirements of New Jersey’s Clean Energy Pay for Performance Program, installation of the new units also makes them eligible for a $222,483 rebate.
Since the beginning of the initiative, the community has reduced energy use in Windrows Hall by approximately 40 percent, through initiatives including a high-tech recycling and composting system that turns kitchen garbage waste into fertilizer used in the greenhouse and gardens, the press release stated.
Officials at Princeton Windrows are working towards achieving Energy Star and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications.
