The Orange Innovation Center, created to be a hub for advancing small businesses in town, has installed four electric vehicle charging stations in pursuit of its long-term goal to become carbon neutral.

These charging stations are currently the only ones available in Orange.

“The general goal is to become carbon neutral and do our best in assisting our community,” said Michelle LeBlanc, the Orange Innovation Center’s operations manager.

Jack Dunphy bought the building complex at 131 West Main St. in 2013, which was previously a mattress factory. It is now home to about 50 businesses that offer a wide variety of services, ranging from tattoo artists to nonprofits to a YMCA.

Dunphy explained that the Orange Innovation Center received funding as a result of a settlement in which Volkswagen is paying for electric vehicle charging stations after being found guilty of cheating emissions tests. The funding was paid through Eversource, and Joe Robinson and John Shulda of Eversource installed the charging stations.

“It’s being used tremendously,” LeBlanc said of the four electric vehicle charging stations. “It’s been a great asset to the town.”

He was especially interested in having them installed at the Orange Innovation Center because of how much daily traffic it attracts.

“Our building is trying to be very green and we’re doing what we can to minimize our carbon footprint,” Dunphy explained. “This seemed like a good way to help with that.”

The Orange Innovation Center also installed 311 solar panels in 2016 in its efforts to become carbon neutral, with the panels producing 100 megawatts of energy. Thus far, having solar panels has saved the organization $88,600.

Energy Source, an energy contractor within the Eversource Commercial and Industrial Retrofit Program, conducted an audit of the building in 2019, and replaced all old lighting fixtures with LEDs. A more energy-efficient furnace was also installed.

The center does not have a particular year by which it plans to be carbon neutral.

“Every time we do a repair or improvements, we always think about how we can improve our energy footprint,” Dunphy noted.

The first four hours of parking at the electric vehicle charging stations are free, after which it is $5 per hour, in accordance with the rates charged in nearby towns.