Founded in 1925, the Fitchburg Art Museum is a leading cultural institution. The mission of the Fitchburg Art Museum is to inspire creativity and learning, and to contribute to the well-being of the diverse communities in Fitchburg, North Central Massachusetts, and New England.
It was improving the overall patron experience, including comfort, that prompted Fitchburg Art Museum to embark on a major heating and cooling upgrade of its facility.
The museum worked closely with Unitil to identify which heating and cooling equipment needed upgrades. “These projects are so important, they help our customers use energy more efficiently, reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Unitil’s External Affairs Manager Alec O’Meara said.
According to Unitil, the heat pumps function as the first stage primary heating with oil and gas boilers coming online as outdoor temperatures drop. “Operating the buildings with multiple fuels allows for potential economic optimization as well, switching from heat pumps to legacy fuels when it is cost effective to do so,” added Unitil’s Senior Energy Efficiency Program Coordinator Joe Van Gombos.
The Elm Street and Merriam Parkway buildings received extensive upgrades that include the installation of a building management HVAC software system to optimize the new 14 high efficiency heat pump installed. In addition, a heat pump water heater and two high efficiency natural gas boilers were added to complement the heat pumps.
While its electric usage will increase, the new heating and cooling systems reduces natural gas usage by 288.6 MMBtu and oil by 97.87 MMBtu annually. The project received a $93,925 energy efficiency rebate from Unitil for achieving a carbon emissions reduction of approximately 20 metric tons, which over the lifetime of the equipment is equivalent to the emissions 43 homes produce annually.
