The Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility has been home to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum’s reserve collection of aviation and space artifacts since the mid-1950s. A no-frills assemblage of about 32 buildings, the Garber Facility also housed many research labs. Today, storage responsiblities are shared with multiple locations, and labs have been repurposed; however, a multitude of artifacts remain as do hundreds of employees and associated job responsibilities.
The Opportunity
The Garber Facility consists of older buildings, still in use daily. Buildings are inefficient and consume large amounts of energy, an unecessary expense in today’s world. Garber’s craft supervisor recognized inefficiencies and was determined to make a change. He knew the optimum option was lighting.
The Solution
Dedication to energy savings is of great value to any organization. Our case study with Garber is a perfect example of how anyone can make an impact on sustainability at their organization, just by doing the right thing. Working from a fluorescent product list, our specialist proposed a plan based on instant rebate pricing, keeping within the institution’s budget. Each month, a quote was submitted for approval and the retrofit process began.
The Benefits
Over the past several years, Garber’s craft supervisor has methodically converted about 80% of the property to LED lighting, all of which was supplied by Bay Lighting as part of Pepco’s Smart Energy Program. Using this program, product cost was low, saving thousands of dollars. As an example, the Garber crew has purchased and installed 7,490 LED T8s, saving $60,000 up front. This, in addition to a huge savings on their utility bill, and decreasing maintenance time with longer lasting LED bulbs has been a win-win for everyone.