Saving Energy, Preserving History

Here at the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), our challenge is unique – we must maintain aging, iconic buildings while adapting to state-of-the-art technology and increasing responsiveness to environmental, security and safety considerations in a rich historical setting.

A building’s lifetime environmental impact is dependent upon everyday operations and maintenance. The AOC and its team of experts have been successful at optimizing new equipment within the framework of its historic buildings to attain substantial energy and cost savings while balancing the preservation needs of the buildings.

The AOC is proud to announce that since 2006, improvements to infrastructure and building systems have reduced energy consumption by 25 percent.

These energy savings, generated by Energy Savings and Performance Contracts, major projects and operational initiatives, equate to enough energy to power the entire United States Capitol and Library of Congress James Madison Memorial Building for a year.

This year’s long, cold winter, will challenge us to continue to meet our organizational annual energy reduction goals for Fiscal Year 2014. As we enter into spring, we will work diligently behind the scenes to continue to reduce energy consumption. These efforts will include curtailing our energy use during unoccupied hours by turning off lights and tightening control of HVAC systems in our buildings; the Capitol Power Plant will also be working on efficiency improvements. If you’re an occupant on Capitol Hill you can help by turning off equipment, space heaters and lights when they’re not needed.