Municipal Buildings Archives | Controlled Air

Microgrid, Middletown CT | Middletown Recreation Center

Controlled Air Inc. — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 14:52:17 +0000

Middletown Recreation Center Embraces a Resilient and Sustainable Future with a New Microgrid

In a significant step towards energy independence and sustainability, the Middletown Recreation Center has completed the installation of a new microgrid system. This project is a cornerstone of the city’s broader efforts to modernize its infrastructure and ensure the community’s safety and comfort, particularly during extreme weather events.

The new recreation center, built on the former site of the Woodrow Wilson Middle School, is not only a hub for community activities with renovated gyms and pools but also serves a vital role as a designated heating and cooling center during power outages. The microgrid is the key to this resilience, allowing the facility to operate independently of the main power grid.

The system is a complex, hybrid energy solution designed and engineered by Clarke Energy in collaboration with other partners. Controlled Air, Inc. worked with Clarke Energy to create an energy-efficient solution that integrated a Yanmar combined heat and power (CHP) unit and a Yanmar gas heat pump (GHP) system. The core of the microgrid is the 35kW CHP unit, which provides both electricity and high-efficiency hot water for showers and the pool. This is complemented by a solar photovoltaic (PV) array that generates renewable electricity, with a battery energy storage system (BESS) to save surplus energy for later use. A backup gas-fueled generator from Kohler provides an additional layer of resilience, ensuring the facility can remain powered for extended periods.

This innovative system is designed to provide both parallel power during normal operation and “island mode” capability during a grid outage. The entire system is managed by a centralized microgrid controller, which optimizes the different energy sources for maximum efficiency and reliability. The project is expected to reduce the center’s carbon dioxide emissions by 192 tons per year, aligning with the city’s goals for a more sustainable future.

The Middletown Recreation Center microgrid is an excellent example of how communities can invest in infrastructure that not only serves their daily needs but also provides critical support in emergencies. It represents a forward-thinking approach to energy management, combining sustainability with an unwavering commitment to public safety and resilience.

The Middletown Recreation Center’s new system is fully protected by a 20-year parts and labor contract. Controlled Air and Yanmar are committed to providing a reliable, long-term, and energy-efficient solution by guaranteeing dedicated parts and service for the equipment.

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Cogeneration (CHP) Naugatuck CT | Naugatuck High School

Controlled Air Inc. — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 18:20:28 +0000

A recent article in Combined Heat and Power Magazine highlighted an energy project at Naugatuck High School. Controlled Air Inc. worked with Advanced Energy Efficiencies to develop a cogeneration installation that will provide 140 kW of electrical power and 820,000 Btus of hot water supply.

Advanced Energy Efficiencies put together a highlight video giving a brief overview of what was accomplished in the project and explained how solar and CHP can make a great team to lower energy costs.

#CHP #cogeneration #energyefficiency #solar
Check Out Page 6 In the Magazine

Read more on YANMAR CHP here

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Boiler Replacement, New Haven CT | Christian Community Action New Haven

Controlled Air Inc. — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 14:56:13 +0000

Christian Community Action, a non-profit located in New Haven, CT provides shelter for the homeless. They recently called for loss of heat. Upon inspection we determined that there were issues with their current boilers. One boiler was dead the other one was acting up. After discussing options, including high efficiency versus standard efficiency, they decided to go with new state of the art high efficiency boilers. The new boilers are 95%+ efficient, and are so quiet you don’t hear them running at all. The energy usage for that building now is greatly reduced , leaving more money available to help those in the most need.

Before Replacement

after replacement

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Town of Bridgeport Microgrid

Controlled Air Inc. — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 05:11:42 +0000

The Bridgeport Microgrid was acquired by Scale Microgrid Solutions in 2021.

Bridgeport Microgrid is a partnership between OR&L Construction in Branford, Controlled Air and Power Island Energy in Jacksonville, Fla.

Controlled Air, Inc. will be in charge of the design build concept. This includes the design and installation of the Congeneration System, chilled water system, controls system, underground piping, and thermal loop for both chilled and hot water.

A microgrid is a power system designed to provide power to buildings continuously, even in times of natural disasters or when the main electrical grid fails.
The project is part of a municipal pilot program launched through the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in 2013.
In addition to providing power to key municipal buildings, Bridgeport’s system will use the generators’ excess heat to provide heating and cooling to City Hall, police headquarters and the nearby Cabaret building.
According to DEEP, Bridgeport microgrid will own the generation for the city’s microgrid.

The microgrid is expected to be operational by July 2017.

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Building Controls, Bethel CT | Bethel Library

Controlled Air Inc. — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 14:59:07 +0000

In the Bethel Library we completed a second floor tenet fit out. We installed an entire building controls system which included lighting, and air handlers. Their existing heating and lighting system was either continuously on or continuously off. Their system was wasting both money and energy. In the new controls system, sensors register room occupancy so that both the lighting turned off and the temperature adjusted to save energy.

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Union Plaza Roof Top Replacement

Controlled Air Inc. — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 16:24:54 +0000

Union Plaza had mismatched, inefficient, and past expectancy roof top units. We installed new high efficiency units and received incentives and rebates that helped pay for a good portion of the project. The new unit was so large the we had to install cat walks for installation and service. We also upgraded the VAV boxes and diffusers.

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Cogeneration & Trigeneration, Fairfield CT | Fairfield Police Station

Controlled Air Inc. — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 15:35:03 +0000

We installed a new TecoGen CM-50 50 kW gas fired Cogeneration unit. We also furnished and installed gas lines, make-up water lines, radiator piping, hot water piping, heat exchanger, circulators, and electrical conduit to make the cogeneration operational and running efficiently. We updated the controls system with wiring to integrate the cogeneration system into the existing Johnson Controls Energy Management System and installed a New Yazaki 20-ton chiller and AMCOT ST-60 cooling tower.

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Judicial Branch, 920 Broad St.

Controlled Air Inc. — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 16:43:57 +0000

The Hartford Judicial Branch, Juvenile Court House needed to replace their existing Baltimore Air Coil Cooling Tower, which was badly rusted and falling apart. We installed a new Baltimore Air Coil Cooling tower with a variable frequency drive speed controller, installed new controls, refurbished the cooling tower steel support and converted the water bypass valve. They were eligible for a $2730.00 utility rebate and can save an estimated $30,000 in operating cost over the life of the new tower. Through out the installation we were required to keep the building in weather-tight conditions, maintain strict security and we completed the entire job over a weekend during the cooling season so that there was never a time they were without cooling.

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