Waynesboro, VA

Wildlife Center of Virginia

The Wildlife Center of Virginia is a teaching and research hospital for wildlife medicine. When the center moved into a new building near Waynesboro in 1995, it embraced a variety of energy efficiency measures, including increased insulation levels, low-loss windows, and a lighting system to meet EPA Green Lights program standards. GHP energy consumption for heating, cooling, and domestic hot water is estimated to be about 35,000 kWh per year, compared with 66,000 kWh per year for air-source heat pumps and an electric water heater. The annual savings are over 40 cents per square foot.

The hospital is divided into four heating and cooling zones, each with a 5-ton GHP unit connected to a centralized, slinky ground loop. Director of the Center, Edward Clark, notes the importance of individual zone control. "Areas where people are actively working with animals can be cooler than offices where people are more sedentary. Animal patient rooms need to be cooler in the winter so animals don’t lose their winter hardiness, and in the summer, when people areas are air conditioned, animal areas can be kept warmer."