Energy Spotlight Central Library

FAST FACTCentral Library’s solar panels produce enough power to meet the electricity needs of eight homes for a year!

ABOUT AIREThe Arlington Initiative to Rethink

Energy (AIRE) helps our community

make smart decisions about energy

and supports individual actions to

sustain and improve Arlington’s quality

of life. We are committed to energy

practices that will make Arlington a

more prosperous, healthful, and secure

place to live, work, and play.

AIRE began in 2007 with an ambitious

goal to significantly cut greenhouse gas

emissions from County government

operations by improving energy

efficiency in our buildings, vehicles, and

infrastructure, and by using clean fuels

and green power. We also educate

and encourage Arlington residents

and businesses to use energy wisely,

inspiring daily actions that will make a

lasting difference.

By working together, we can ensure the

health of our community for the long

term. Come join us!

Visit us online at

www.freshAIREva.us

THE BUILDINGArlington County Central Library, the main library in the County system, was built in 1961 and expanded in 1994. It is a multi-storied, 131,100-square-foot building that is open more than 80 hours per week. The building uses energy for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), plus lighting, water heating, a busy public computer center, office equipment, and an auditorium for library and community events.

ELECTRICITY USE AT CENTRAL LIBRARY, SELECTED YEARS

3,000,000

2,500,000

2,000,000

1,500,000

1,000,000

500,000

2000 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Use

, kW

h

Calendar Year

OUR ENERGY IMPROVEMENTSIn 2000, Central Library used 2,769,440 kWh of electricity. This energy use carries a heavy environmental burden, equating to more than 1,500 metric tons of CO2 equivalent (mtCO2e). The County’s energy management program began in earnest in 2001, when we made a series of adjustments to the building automation system and some lighting upgrades.

Once the County launched the AIRE program in 2007, the energy management team returned to Central Library to make more improvements. We retrofitted all fluorescent fixtures from T12 lamps with magnetic ballasts to more efficient T8 lamps with electronic ballasts, replaced high-wattage indirect pendant fixtures with T8 fluorescent pendant fixtures, and replaced all incandescent lamps with

either compact fluorescent or LED lights. We also upgraded auditorium lighting to dimmable LED downlights.

In 2011, the County used a federal grant to install a 60-kWDC solar power system on the roof of the library. This solar system produces about 5 percent of the annual electricity needs of the building and decreases the peak energy demand by 15 percent. This has led to demand charge savings on the electric bill.

Central Library is now getting a new chiller. The high-efficiency, variable-speed modular chiller will recover excess heat to provide domestic hot water. The project is underway, and Central Library will see savings from the project in 2013.

VALUE TO THE COUNTYThese improvements are saving the County more than $100,000 a year in electric costs and will deliver even greater savings in 2013 from the new chillers in operation. With a cost of $390,000 for the lighting and solar panels, total payback will take less than four years—and because the solar panels were completely funded through a grant, these projects have more than recovered their cost to the County. The improvements also have reduced the building’s emissions by nearly one-third since 2000. That is the equivalent of taking 85 cars off the road or providing electricity for 61 homes for a year!

HOW DO WE RATE?When we benchmarked this building against a nationwide sample of libraries, we found that in 2012 Central Library used 29 percent less energy than comparable library buildings.

FOLLOW OUR LEADMany commercial buildings in Arlington still have older lighting like the T12 lamps we retrofitted at Central Library. Lighting retrofits and upgrades can pay for themselves quickly, and there are more and more state and federal incentives to help pay for energy improvements. T12 lights are also being phased out of production, so it will

soon be difficult to buy replacement bulbs.

Visit the AIRE website for more information about current incentives for energy

improvements.

The County has saved more than $100,000 a year in electric costs as a result of improvements at Central Library.

EVERYDAY TIPSGet an energy audit. No matter what

size or style building you live or work

in, understanding how you use energy

equips you to make better decisions

about efficiency investments that yield

the most return for your wallet, your

comfort, and the environment.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. Consider

purchasing goods made from durable,

recycled, toxin-free materials with

minimal packaging. Reuse, repurpose,

donate, or sell unwanted items. Recycle

packaging. You’ll minimize materials

processing, save energy, and prevent

toxic materials from getting back into our

environment.

Travel smart. Rethink how you get to

work and around town. Traveling around

Arlington is easy using the network of

bike and walk paths, buses, Metrorail,

and car-sharing.

Consider green power. Homeowners,

businesses, and organizations can

choose to buy power from renewable

sources such as wind and solar to reduce

their carbon footprint and stimulate the

market for renewable energy.

Visit us online at

www.freshAIREva.us

Building Energy Report CardsTo find out more about the energy

consumption of this and other buildings in

Arlington, check out the Building Energy

Report Cards on the AIRE website.

Glossary of TermsVisit the AIRE website to learn more about

key terms related to energy use and the

equipment in our buildings.

Have a Question? Email AIRE at

climate@arlingtonva.us.