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January 8, 2020

Tommy K’s plaza: Giving and getting solar rays

PHOTO | New Haven BIZ A dusting of snow covers the newly installed solar panels on the shopping plaza at 2460 Dixwell Ave. in Hamden Wednesday morning.
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

A Hamden shopping plaza which is home to Tommy’s Tanning and other businesses is going solar.

Thomas Kelleher, managing member of Twenty Four Sixty Dixwell Ave. LLC, which owns the plaza at 2460 Dixwell Ave., said solar panels were installed last week, and the new system will be activated and fully operational within a week or two.

“We are getting a lot of comments about how we sell sunshine [at Tommy’s Tanning] and now we will be powered by the sun,” Kelleher said.

The plaza has eight retail spaces. In addition to Tommy’s Tanning, it also houses Tommy’s Wax Center, Viva Salon, Ross Imaging Center, Pink Nails & Spa, and Common Grounds, a coffee shop. There are currently two vacancies.

According to Kelleher, it cost about $136,500 to install the solar power system. Ross Solar in Danbury, a Conn Edison Solutions company, was contracted for the project. The process took about a year from the first inquiry until the project’s completion, Kelleher said.

Kelleher first purchased the plaza in 1993. Back then, the plaza was home to a Tommy K’s video store. He also owns several retail strip centers around New Haven County and the state, including in Oxford and on Whalley Avenue in New Haven. 

Going solar had been something Kelleher had been discussing with his brother, Ed Kelleher, for some time, primarily due to a desire to be environmentally friendly. The Hamden plaza seemed ideal because it has a large roof and faces south, so it gets ample direct sunlight.

“It is something good for the world and for the business,” Tom Kelleher said. “Anything to help improve the air and the environment — and also save money — is good.”

He expects cost savings over the long term due to lower utility bills and by producing more power than the plaza will need, as he can sell extra power the system produces. He was also attracted by the available government tax incentives and credits.

“[As a landlord], you have to pay bills and expect a decent return,” Kelleher said. “Ultimately, it will save us money. We figure we will get our money back in four years.”

Kelleher said he is interested in potentially installing solar on his other properties, too, depending on whether they have the right type of roof and face in a southerly direction to absorb ample sunlight.

“We are happy we did it, and we will look at our other buildings, too,” Kelleher said. 

Energize Connecticut, an initiative of the Energy Efficiency Fund, Connecticut Green Bank, state and local utility companies, works to help home and business owners save energy. To get more information on rebates, financing and services, visit its website at energizect.com.

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com. 

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