Beaumont Solar and Darn It! Inc., a family-operated distribution and refurbishment business located in New Bedford, Massachusetts, have partnered once again on a successful solar installation. Back in 2011, Darn It! Inc. President Jeff Glassman selected Beaumont Solar to fully engineer, procure and install a 281.6-kW roof-mounted solar system on his 1903 mill building. It was the largest commercial solar rooftop in the City of New Bedford at that time.
Jeff Glassman, President of Darn It! Inc. amongst a section of his now 516-kW rooftop solar system.
Seeing first-hand the utility savings the solar system was providing, Glassman once again contacted Beaumont Solar to expand his system by an additional 234.5 kW to further offset his utility costs.
“For a facility the size of ours and the volume of business we accommodate, our utility costs became a big problem for us. Solar is the solution for that problem,” said Jeff Glassman, President of Darn It! Inc. “The building has a huge flat roof, it’s in the sun all day so solar made perfect sense. The first system worked out so well and I still had plenty of available roof space, I realized why not get rid of even more of our electric costs by calling up Beaumont and seeing if we could add more solar. I can make even more of my own power, gain further control over my energy usage and invest that money somewhere else.” And so, the call was made.
“One of the concerns Mr. Glassman had was how the changing SREC values and regulated deadlines would affect the financial picture of installing the second system. But our financial team prepared a full, comprehensive analysis and assured Mr. Glassman that we could not only secure him an SREC reservation, and a net metering reservation, but that our design and construction team would complete the project in ample time,” said Phillip Cavallo, President and CEO of Beaumont Solar. True to their word, Beaumont finished the project well ahead of all financial deadlines and Mr. Glassman had the permission to operate the second system from the utility company in his hands by this past April.
The Darn It! Inc. location in the heart of the North End factory district at 630-686 Belleville Ave, has come full circle for the Glassman family and holds ties to the family’s history. Back in the 1930’s, his relatives first came to New Bedford and began working for what was then known as the New Bedford Manufacturing Co, makers of pajamas, in this very building which Glassman ironically ended up purchasing when his own business needed to expand. Today, Darn It! uses the building for providing door to door logistic solutions, warehousing & distribution services for retailers, manufacturers and wholesalers worldwide. Most notably, Darn It! is known for its quality control services including inspections, and correcting manufacturing mistakes offering services that include item re-packaging, repairs, returns processing, mold remediation, label change, dry cleaning/laundering & pressing.
The old mill buildings of the city are a reminder of the generations of hard-working people who made up the heart of the city. However, they were also known as heavy polluters of the atmosphere due to the means by which they accessed their power through coal, and the like. But together, Darn It! Inc. and Beaumont Solar continue to enhance this building’s history and future by making it a commercial business leader that will stand proud amongst its peers showcasing its ability to operate green under its own clean, renewable energy.
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