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Most Recent 10 Articles

Community Environmental Center joins Queens Library for “Greening Libraries” Project
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Weatherization Funding: Surviving by the Skin of Our Teeth, by Alexis Greene
Friday, December 23rd, 2011

Luck of the Irish – A Winner of the CEC Raffle
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Want to create jobs? Consider an Energy Corps, by Richard Cherry
Friday, December 9th, 2011

Community Environmental Center Installs Solar Thermal System at JCC on Staten Island
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Community Environmental Center Is LEED Consultant for LEED Gold Dormitory at Queens College
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

The partnership between Green City Force and Community Environmental Center, by Lisbeth Shepherd
Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Helen M. Marshall, President of the Borough of Queens, Proclaims Tuesday, November 1, Community Environmental Center Weatherization Day
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

Community Environmental Center receives Service Merit Award from NYSERDA
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Community Environmental Center to celebrate Weatherization Day November 1
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

CEC Pioneers Multifamily Renewable Tech in NYC

Monday, May 4th, 2009

As part of our ongoing efforts to encourage sustainability in New York, Community Environmental Center recently completed the installation of a pilot solar thermal installation on two 6-unit buildings in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, managed by the Cypress Hills Community Development Corporation.

Solar thermal systems use heat from the sun to augment electricity and gas consumption that is currently used to heat water in our apartments. Although this technology has been widely pursued in Europe, currently the US is way behind in multifamily renewables.

CEC installed systems that pass glycol through flat plate solar collector panels to cope with New York’s winter freezes. The glycol then is pumped through the building into the boiler room and passes through a newly installed heat exchanger.  In the heat exchanger the glycol heats water that is circulated into the solar storage tank. The solar storage tank then provides pre-heated water for the existing hot water tank. The preexisting hot water tank will need to consume less energy in providing hot water for residents. Each installation took 3 days to complete.

Ron Kamen of EarthKind Energy provided valuable training and oversight for the CEC crew. The panels were installed by CEC. 

Cost of materials was $9,453 for 4 panel system with heat exchanger and solar water storage tank.

For 2829 Fulton Street, energy usage for hot water heating was estimated at 1600 therms.  The installation of 4 solar panels was estimated to reduce energy used to heat domestic hot water by 727 therms annually at a cost of $1.8 per therms for the 20 year life of the system.  The total savings over the life of the system would be $26,000.

779 Liberty Street had a lower overall energy usage.  Domestic Hot water was estimated to use 1,066 therms.  The similar installation was estimated to reduce energy usage 389 therms.   389 therms at $1.8 for the 20 year life of the system will save $13,000.

[Please note that the camera used for the above pictures inserted a time-stamp that is inaccurate by three years. We are currently investigating the time-space continuum for an explanation of this error]