The Fairfax County Park Authority, in partnership with the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination, celebrated the start of several landmark improvements at the Spring Hill Rec Center that will significantly reduce the building’s electrical and natural gas consumption. The project is a significant step toward meeting the county’s goals for carbon neutrality in its facilities, fleet vehicles and operations, including 50% of county electricity from renewable sources by 2040, as outlined in the county’s Operational Energy Strategy.

Watch a recap of the groundbreaking event.

Improvements to the center will include the replacement of pool dehumidification units, the installation of solar photovoltaic arrays, geothermal HVAC system, LED lighting upgrades and improvements to building automation systems.

“The Fairfax County Park Authority is a steward of our natural environment, and these projects are just another demonstration of our commitment to being an environmentally responsible operation,” said Park Authority Executive Director Jai Cole. “These projects are monumental milestones for our program with the largest solar array and the geothermal heating and cooling system in the Park Authority.”

Fast Facts

• The project is expected to reduce annual energy consumption by 19% for electricity and 29% for natural gas, producing up to $67,000 in savings in the first year.
• Altogether, these systems will reduce our carbon footprint equivalent to removing more than 110 cars from the road each year.
• The 307 kW Solar Photovoltaic Array will provide 13% of the building’s total annual electric load (enough to power 33 homes annually).
• Fifty in-ground wells – 455-feet-deep – will be installed under the field to the west of the building to use natural ground temperature to provide heat in the winter and cooling in the summer – resulting in significantly reduced natural gas and electricity usage.
• The high-efficiency pool dehumidification system will provide improved air quality and circulation to the natatorium and utilize heat recovery technology to reuse waste energy to heat the pool.

For additional information about the project, please contact the Public Information Office at Parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov.