The City of West Haven and The United Illuminating Company (UI) have partnered together to conduct business outreach visits through the Business Outreach Program.

The program allows business development specialists from the City and UI to meet with local businesses, one-on-one, to discuss the challenges many businesses are facing in these difficult economic times, and explore solutions that can help companies in West Haven expand and grow.

The program is targeting companies from a wide range of business arenas that are integral to West Haven’s economic vitality and success. If you would like your business to participate in the program, please contact Tom Cariglio from The United Illuminating Company at Thomas.Cariglio@uinet.com.

Please visit UI’s economic development website at www.ctcentralcoast.com.

One of these visits lead to Chick’s Drive-In saving thousands on their electrical bill and reducing their overall energy consumption.

Chick’s Drive-In owner Joseph E. “Chick” Celentano received an oversize check from the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund for making the seafood restaurant more energy efficient.  Celentano was joined by Mayor John M. Picard, Richard W. Steeves, chairman of the Energy Conservation Management Board, and Pat McDonnell, senior director of conservation and load management at The United Illuminating Co.  Celentano’s Beach Street institution, which has called West Haven home for 60 years, was recognized on Oct. 26, 2010 for taking part in the Small Business Energy Advantage Program and installing energy-saving lighting and refrigeration equipment.

The new equipment is saving the well-known restaurateur hundreds of dollars each month on his electricity bill.  It is also expected to save 468,000 kilowatt-hours — the equivalent of 109 acres of trees, or 44,911 gallons of gas — over the products’ lifetimes.  For going green, Celentano received a plaque from the Energy Efficiency Fund and the Northeast Energy Efficiency Council.  The fund, which is administered by UI and paid into by all UI customers, provides the money that supports energy initiatives for homeowners and renters, small and large businesses, and state and local governments.  The innovative programs are managed by the state’s electric and gas utilities, including UI and Southern Connecticut Gas Co.  The fund presented Celentano with a check for $15,237.71 toward the $33,000 energy-efficiency project.  He pays the rest of the cost through a loan with zero-percent financing.  The work, which took six weeks, was done by Efficient Lighting & Maintenance Inc. of Brookfield.