Trending on-site utility: Today's combined heat and power option

As consumers are increasingly becoming more environmentally conscious, they are demanding greener products in everyday life from their cars to their yards. Builders, owners and property mangers cannot turn their backs to this growing trend and need to be able to meet that demand in order to attract and maintain client satisfaction. Going green goes beyond replacing bulbs and using less water. It delves deeper into what many clients rarely see, especially the mechanical systems (i.e., boilers and air conditioning systems) that produce energy in the building. Combined heat and power (CHP or cogeneration) systems have been around for over 100 years. A CHP system simultaneously produces heat, hot water and electricity from one source of fuel, often natural gas, while providing a financial benefit and reducing carbon emissions. This approach offers tremendous efficiency, often 90%, and at the same time increases the lifespan of your existing mechanical equipment, such as boilers, as they will not need to run as often. Not everyone has the dedicated capital, technical knowledge, or available time bandwidth to support this type of endeavor. A growing trend is an On-Site Utility. What is different with this approach is that you never reach into your pocket for any of the upfront costs. The On-Site Utility provider supplies all of the capital. The entire transaction is 100% cash flow positive. All you pay for is the energy produced while the On-Site Utility provider takes care of everything else from site evaluation, design, installation, maintenance and even all of the fuel costs. The price of the energy produced includes a guaranteed discount rate. CHP with an On-Site Utility solution increases the value of your property, entitles you to green credits, and provides an immediate positive net income. With a no cost, no responsibility, no risk, just savings offer, it is time to think outside the grid. Kerri-Ann Richard is a project engineer at American DG Energy in Waltham, Mass.