Energy Efficiency

The Virginia Museum of Natural History, in a public-private partnership with Siemens and the Virginia Department of Energy, recently completed an all-encompassing energy efficiency project that is poised to generate $106,561 in guaranteed annual energy savings for the Commonwealth of Virginia and yield significant savings in greenhouse gas generation.

The savings are made possible by both improvements and additions to the museum's existing energy systems, including the installation of a roof-mounted solar array, the installation of an electric vehicle charging station, strategic LED lighting retrofitting, upgrades to the museum's insulation and weatherization, recommissioning of the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and BAS (building automation system), and more.

Additionally, the project is providing a substantial educational benefit to Virginia school students. Through the Siemens Empower grant, the museum is poised to provide special hands-on, interactive programs for Virginia's K-12 students that focus on energy conservation and environmental stewardship.