Mitsubishi Electric US Cooling & Heating Div. donated high-efficiency cooling and heating equipment for use in the renovation of a six-unit apartment building owned and operated by Washington, D.C.-based Community Connections, a not-for-profit mental health agency serving adults and children in Washington, D.C. The donation of the energy-saving equipment is expected to greatly reduce the operating costs of the building, allowing the nonprofit service provider to use the money saved to increase its services to those in need.

The project was completed in December 2012 by nonprofit charitable construction program HomeAid Washington D.C. (HomeAid D.C.), a local chapter of HomeAid America. It is part of the national Environmental Sustainability Program (ESP) launched by HomeAid America initially funded through a grant from the Walmart Foundation.

Mitsubishi Electric donated equipment from its Hyper-Heating (H2i®) line of split-ductless HVAC systems, which provide heating at 100 percent capacity at temperatures as low as 5°F and at efficiencies of up to 26 SEER. The Mitsubishi Electric units replaced window air conditioning units and forced-air, gas-fired furnaces — some of which were original to the 1956 building — in each of the apartment units.

ESP enables organizations, such as HomeAid D.C., to retrofit existing facilities serving homeless and at-risk populations with energy-efficient upgrades, resulting in a minimum 40 percent reduction in energy use. According to HomeAid D.C., organizations such as Community Connections can benefit from lower monthly energy expenses, allowing them to expand service capacity based on the overall reduction in operational costs.

“Heating and cooling costs comprise approximately half of an average building’s energy bills,” said John Clements, senior product marketing manager, Mitsubishi Electric US Cooling & Heating Div. “By replacing the existing 50-year-old HVAC units in the apartments with our efficient split-ductless technology, we knew we had the opportunity to make a huge impact on Community Connections’ bottom line. Now, the organization is free to use the funds otherwise spent on high energy bills towards expanding its services in the community.”

For more information, visit www.mehvac.com.

Publication date: 6/24/2013

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