Energy Efficiency & Financial Sustainability

Energy Efficiency Technology

Sustainability is foundational to the CIC building design. The facility will meet Passive House standards which exceed LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certified building standards, making the new facility the most energy efficient building in Richland County. Sustainability features include a rooftop garden, solar panels and airtight continuous insulation. 

The design of the CIC makes use of passive building strategies to increase comfort while reducing energy consumption, and will reduce our energy costs by 75%. Passive building is an envelope first approach to design and construction that focuses on increasing occupant health and comfort by implementing five key strategies

1. Continuous Insulation
2. Air Sealing
3. Controlled Mechanical ventilation
4. Optimizing Solar Gains
5. Right-sized heating and cooling systems

It is important to note that our initial investment up front will create significant savings in energy costs for our organization, securing our future and reducing our overall operational costs down the road. 

Financial Sustainability

NECIC has a designated fund held at the Richland County Foundation that was established in 2012 by a private benefactor to help seed and support ongoing operations. Beyond that, NECIC is responsible to plan, develop and create ongoing, sustainable streams of revenue for its works. Those include operations like the NECIC Staffing, the Micro farms, home for federally or state funded minority business programs, and various other grants and partnerships on research and initiatives. 

The building plan incorporates alternative and diverse streams of revenue including rentals, leasing from partner organizations, fee-driven programing and more. The NECIC existing headquarters will be relocated to the site of the Community Impact Center where cos of occupancy for the organization will actually decrease. 

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