Historical society saving on energy

WINSTED — Winchester Historical Society Director Milly Hudak said the society recently underwent an audit of its heating system and that renovations to the Solomon Rockwell House have been ongoing for the past year to make the building more efficient.The major work being done at the old home and museum includes re-insulating the main building and its adjoining carriage house, where an exhibition of keepsakes from Winsted’s industrial years is on display. Locally manufactured products, machines and business signs are included in the exhibit, while artifacts dating back to the Civil War and earlier are featured in the main house.“The engineers from Yankee Gas and Connecticut Light and Power came to do an energy audit and they told us we were losing heat through the attic,” Hudak said. “Now it’s up to us to go up there and correct some of those situations before we install any new heating systems.” The Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund organizes energy audits with assistance from Wesson Energy.Hudak said workers have been at the historical society almost every day, sealing up the house in preparation for what will likely be another cold winter. “They want to get the rough part done before the winter sets in,” she said.The goal, as always, is to protect historic artifacts, but the society is also looking to save money and maintain funds for ongoing programs, including the new manufacturing exhibition. Though the insulation project will end up costing thousands of dollars and is putting the society over its budget for the current year, it will save money in the long run. “The purpose of putting climate control in the carriage house is to preserve the project I just finished with all of the products from Winsted,” Hudak said. “Saving heat will help us tremendously, and we’ll probably get our money back in about three years.”In her annual report to members, Hudak reported that the Winchester Historical Society has been one of the most visited museums in the area, with tours conducted year-round, and that a new display case in the carriage house is filled with historic pieces from Winsted’s industrial past. The carriage house is also home to a collection of fire department memorabilia, along with photos of the floods of 1955 and 1938.

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