Washington Research Library Consortium Learn how upgrades to climate-controlled storage areas saves over $100,000 annually. Image
Savings at a GlanceBy participating in the BGE Building Tune-up program, the Washington Research Library Consortium was able to take advantage of financial incentives to reduce energy use at its Upper Marlboro, Maryland headquarters. 8 months until payback on project costs 1,099,943 kWh/year in energy savings $129,000/year in cost savings $15,000 in incentives paidLong before contemporary libraries began adding baristas among their bookshelves, nine Washington, D.C. area universities banded together to share resources and conserve campus library space. The Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) was established in 1987 to support those partner universities, including The George Washington University, Georgetown University and Howard University.Located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, the WRLC headquarters is made up of three climate-controlled storage facilities. Inside those units, books, journals and other resources are stored until they are requested by faculty or students at one of the partner universities.To keep the collections properly preserved, each unit must maintain a temperature of 60 degrees with 40% humidity. Because of this demand, Timothy Connolly, WRLC director of finance and administration, says energy usage is closely tracked at each facility. With the help of the BGE Smart Energy Savers Program®, the WRLC was able to accurately identify and reduce energy use after it unexpectedly doubled.Read the story The BGE report identifies potential problems. But it also presents solutions and helps you implement them. It was very much tailored toward our equipment, so we knew what we needed to target. Image Timothy Connolly, Director of Finance and Administration, Washington Research Library Consortium More efficient climate-control equipment in the three units has saved the WRLC $100,000 in energy costs in less than a year. The BGE building analytics report helped the WRLC adjust controls and improve energy efficiency across its three storage facilities. PreviousNext