Manhattan high rise cuts energy costs by $350,000 | Centrica Business Solutions
Case study: NYC high rise reaps $350K annual savings
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Expertise enables Manhattan high rise to cut annual energy costs by $350,000

When an existing CHP plant was performing poorly, the 48-story apartment block's owners looked for new operators - now the six units are achieving record-breaking performance and efficiency.
$350K
Annual savings from CHP upgrade and maintenance
80%
Total system efficiency
90%
Uptime, the highest level of productivity

CHP not being optimized to expectation

Manhattan Plaza, a RELATED Companies property, installed six combined heat and power (CHP) units from another vendor. It soon became clear that the units were not providing the better uptime, higher savings and maintenance capabilities that were expected.

Smooth takeover of CHP responsibilities

Centrica Business Solutions was selected to lead the re-design and then take over the operation and maintenance of the CHP plant as part of a five-year agreement, which projected to reduce costs by $350,000 annually.

In phase one, the existing system was evaluated and compared to how Centrica Business Solutions would have theoretically designed a system for that specific location. Working with the RELATED facilities management team, design changes were recommended and subsequently implemented.

In phase two, Centrica Business Solutions took over operation and maintenance of the 840 kWs of electrical power generation and ensured that all other CHP related plant equipment was maintained as needed, to keep the CHP/trigeneration system running smoothly.

The results

By utilizing its expert knowledge of CHP natural gas engine performance, Centrica Business Solutions was able to reduce gas consumption and increase power generation, while simultaneously improving system uptime. This resulted in cost savings for the building.

The units at Manhattan Plaza are now operating at their highest level of productivity in recent history with >90% uptime, and savings are on course to meet expectations and establish all-time high cost savings. Manhattan Plaza has also reduced its carbon footprint by more than 20%.

Savings achieved due to the operation and maintenance of the plant, help us to stabilize our costs and give our tenants the assurances they need that during varied weather conditions, they will have electricity, heat or cooling available.”
Paul Rode SVP, Engineering & Energy Management, RELATED Management Company
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