American DG Energy, a leading on-site utility, offering clean electricity, heat, hot water, and cooling solutions to hospitality, healthcare, housing, and athletic facilities, today announced that the company has entered into an agreement with the Cumberland County Jail in Portland, Maine, to operate two combined heat and power (CHP) at their facility. The agreement will generate an expected $2,400,000 over the 15-year term.

The two 75 kW CHP systems are owned and operated by American DG Energy, and are now producing energy in the form of domestic hot water, space heat, and electricity. As part of the agreement, Cumberland County Jail will avoid all associated capital, installation, and operating costs and will only pay for the energy used at guaranteed lower cost than that provided by local utilities.

CHP facilities provide a cleaner energy option and provide significant environmental benefits. Typical electricity production methods often have excess heat that is wasted, while CHP facilities recycle this heat to be utilized as domestic hot water, space heat, and electricity. By employing American DG Energy’s CHP system, the Cumberland County Jail will reduce their carbon emissions by approximately 584 tons per year, which is the equivalent of 434 acres of forest filtering CO2 emissions. Additional benefits include the near complete elimination of sulfur dioxide output and drastically reduced nitrogen oxide emissions creating a greener environment.

The Cumberland County Jail, built in 1994, continuously reviews cost-effective measures to provide a healthy, safe, and secure environment. The addition of American DG Energy’s CHP utility allows them to receive immediate relief on energy cost without spending any time or money. The Cumberland County Jail currently staffs 200 members in the Corrections Division who are responsible for the care, custody, and control of over 400 inmates.

For more information on American DG Energy, visit www.americandg.com

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