Company Goes Green With Solar Rooftop
Group Committed To Green Initiatives
POSTED: 12:51 pm EDT July 15,
2008
UPDATED: 5:32 pm EDT July 15,
2008
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BOSTON -- You could call it a "barn raising" for our times -- people coming together as a community to help raise up and build.NewsCenter 5's David Brown tells us in this situation it isn't the four walls of a barn -- but 200 solar panels.
VIDEO: Company Goes Green With Solar RooftopEmployees of Newton's Chapman Construction are coming together on their day off, to build a solar rooftop."We just decided as a company to recommit ourselves probably starting about five years ago to just put green right out front. To be out front of green," said John Hall, of Chapman Construction.Employees helped install the panels. Wentworth Institute of Technology senior Allison Wellman, 20, is working on a co-op at Chapman and was the company's lead architect."I've seen it in so many drawings. I've made so many renderings of it to see it actually done was a really cool thing," Wellman said.In about four years the solar panels will pay for themselves. That leaves 35 years of free electricity, 35 years of working off the grid and selling any extra electricity back to NStar.The solar panels are the tip of the iceberg of this company's green initiatives. Their entire building is going through a renovation to achieve platinum LEED certification -- that's the top of the line when it comes to building green.Skylights are in and windows are being added to bring in daylight, reducing the need for electric lights. Solar panels hang over south facing windows, reducing the heat from the sun.Employees that drive fuel-efficient or hybrid cars get an $1,000 a year."It's good for the environment. It's also good for the pocket book. With the price of gas and oil going up every day, it's crazy not to," said Tom Hansen, senior construction supervisor."Everyone's waiting around for someone else to do something about it. It's really frustrating. I think businesses have to take the forefront," Hall said.
VIDEO: Company Goes Green With Solar RooftopEmployees of Newton's Chapman Construction are coming together on their day off, to build a solar rooftop."We just decided as a company to recommit ourselves probably starting about five years ago to just put green right out front. To be out front of green," said John Hall, of Chapman Construction.Employees helped install the panels. Wentworth Institute of Technology senior Allison Wellman, 20, is working on a co-op at Chapman and was the company's lead architect."I've seen it in so many drawings. I've made so many renderings of it to see it actually done was a really cool thing," Wellman said.In about four years the solar panels will pay for themselves. That leaves 35 years of free electricity, 35 years of working off the grid and selling any extra electricity back to NStar.The solar panels are the tip of the iceberg of this company's green initiatives. Their entire building is going through a renovation to achieve platinum LEED certification -- that's the top of the line when it comes to building green.Skylights are in and windows are being added to bring in daylight, reducing the need for electric lights. Solar panels hang over south facing windows, reducing the heat from the sun.Employees that drive fuel-efficient or hybrid cars get an $1,000 a year."It's good for the environment. It's also good for the pocket book. With the price of gas and oil going up every day, it's crazy not to," said Tom Hansen, senior construction supervisor."Everyone's waiting around for someone else to do something about it. It's really frustrating. I think businesses have to take the forefront," Hall said. Copyright 2009 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
