By Liz Whitney
New Canaan Community Foundation (NCCF) and New Canaan YMCA are pleased to announce the Foundation’s award of a $100,000 grant to support the YMCA’s upcoming and transformative energy project.
NCCF’s grant will directly support the installation of a Combined Heat and Power system (CHP) and Battery Energy Storage System at the New Canaan YMCA, which will advance the organization’s commitment to energy efficiency through conversion to more efficient and cleaner energy sources. By partnering on this important and exciting project, both organizations are taking action to create a more sustainable New Canaan community, while also establishing an official Town emergency shelter.
CHP systems generate electricity on-site and are therefore more efficient than power procured from the grid. They additionally recover and repurpose heat generated in the process thereby reducing the need for conventional boilers. The YMCA’s CHP unit will be fueled by natural gas and will generate heat and electricity to directly serve the facility’s utility needs. The system will also include a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) that will allow the YMCA to store energy produced by CHP for use during peak demand and emergencies. CHP can generate between 50% and 90% of the YMCA’s electrical need, drastically reducing the Y’s reliance on the Town’s power grid and reducing the YMCA’s carbon footprint by two-thirds.
The Y’s CHP system will also function as a permanent, on-site generator at the YMCA. During past long-term power outages in New Canaan, the YMCA has served as a Town emergency shelter, making showers, heat and cooling, device charging, and general respite available to all residents in need. In order to provide this support, however, the YMCA has needed to rent a portable diesel generator, arrange for its transportation over a long distance, and purchase diesel fuel. This operation was not only time-consuming, competitive, and extremely expensive, but also subject to the advance warning and accuracy of weather forecasts. The CHP system will be permanently on site, instantly available, and will operate cleaner and quieter. The YMCA has worked closely with the Town’s Director of Emergency Management, who has evaluated and identified the New Canaan YMCA as the best option for a Town emergency shelter. Additionally, the Town awarded $500,000 of ARPA funds to support this project.
The conversion to a CHP system is projected to save the Y over 120 kilowatt hours of electricity each year, which is equivalent to the amount of electricity used by 15 homes, and will reduce the Y’s carbon footprint by eliminating approximately 98,000 tons of CO2 generation emissions each year.
New Canaan Community Foundation President & CEO, Lauren Patterson, shared, “At the New Canaan Community Foundation, we are committed to supporting initiatives that create lasting benefits for our community. This multi-year grant to YMCA’s energy project exemplifies how we can strengthen an important community facility that serves so many of our residents of all ages, establish a critical emergency shelter, and advance a greater environmental cause.”
NCCF’s grants are designed to support high-quality and impactful programs and initiatives that make a positive difference in the community. The foundation’s grantmaking process is powered by community volunteers who give their time, talent, and financial support to collectively vet and recommend the best use of dollars contributed by the New Canaan community each year. In addition to supporting over 90 organizations both locally and regionally, NCCF makes several multi-year grant investments to support major cultural, educational and capital projects in New Canaan.
YMCA Executive Director, Margaret Riley, added, “We are very proud to be partnering with the New Canaan Community Foundation on this exciting initiative and are extremely appreciative of the Foundation’s generous support.” She added, “This project will have a significant impact on our facility’s energy consumption. The environmental benefits alone make this a transformative initiative for our Y and community, and the benefit of having an on-site generator to officially serve as the community’s emergency shelter whenever needed, makes this one of the most impactful projects in our Y’s history.”
The CHP project is anticipated to be completed mid-2025 and is not expected to have any interruption of facility operations during the installation.
To learn more about the New Canaan YMCA’s energy project, contact Margaret Riley at mriley@newcanaanymca.org. To learn more about the New Canaan Community Foundation, contact Lauren Patterson at lpatterson@newcanaancf.org.
