The historic Bjerget House in Christiansted will see energy savings of almost 50 percent thanks to a green energy overhaul, representatives of the property’s current owner, Viking LLC, announced at a press conference Monday.
The project was partially funded by the Virgin Islands Energy Office through a Worthwhile Investments Save Energy grant.
At almost 10,000 square feet, the 182-year-old structure was incredibly expensive to power and cool, explained Steve Garner of Quality Electric Supply, which oversaw the project. Garner estimated that the property’s yearly electric bill cost between $118,000 and $138,000.
Garner eagerly showed off the building’s new assortment of energy saving devices, the centerpiece of which was a smart air conditioning unit that can track the temperature of each room and adjust the amount of coolant flowing there in order to avoid over- or under-cooling.
The building’s retrofit also featured lower-tech solutions that could be applied to homes on the island, including LED lighting and ceramic window films that block 40 percent of the heat coming through a window while still allowing 70 percent of the light.
The overhaul notably did not include the addition of any renewable energy generators, a point highlighted by Karl Knight, energy office director.
“Although everyone wants a solar panel or a new fancy wind turbine, usually the lowest hanging fruit, especially in commercial establishments, is energy conservation,” he said.
Knight said reducing the amount of energy consumed by a building can be cheaper than the investment required to produce an equivalent amount of extra power through renewable resources.
He said such an approach was especially advantageous in the case of historic buildings or neighborhoods, because solar panels or wind turbines could detract from the historic value of the property.
“Here’s an example of how you’re able to reduce [power consumption] by almost 50 percent without anyone from outside being able to see what was done,” he said.
The WISE grant was funded with federal money routed to V.I. Energy Office through the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance. Knight said that the Bjerget House was only one of several commercial properties to receive such a grant in the Virgin Islands.
In order to qualify for the grant, a business must supply 60 percent of the funds for the project and it must result in at least a 15 percent reduction in energy consumption.
Knight said that his office hopes to continue awarding WISE grants for as long as they have access to the federal funds. He said they were also looking for alternative ways to fund the project should that money become no longer available.
