Museums are the most energy-intensive than other buildings. It is found that museum buildings present high energy demand for air-conditioning due to their architectonical and structural characteristics, such as the presence of large exhibition rooms and open spaces. At the same time temperature and humidity have to be strictly controlled to assure proper micro-climate conditions for the conservation of the housed collections and adequate thermal comfort for visitors and personnel. Climate control, lighting and security are some of the crucial factors that play into the effectiveness and success of a museum. Caring about the environment is a natural extension of museum’s primary role of management for their collections. It would be perverse to preserve evidence of the natural world and human society without regard to the protection of the wider environment. The issue of environmentalism does provide an opportunity for museums to embrace the current fight against climate change with open arms. ‘Design’, ‘Build’, ‘Operate Green’ seems to be more important now than ever before. Consequently, the museum stewards across the globe are ‘rethinking’ the infrastructure, energy conservation, waste management, and much more to reduce their impact and ensure the global heritage and culture to be well preserved for the generations to come. The objective of paper is about the effective energy management in museums and cultural institutions and the varied methods and tools that can be adopt, to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDG).
If we look around the world, the residential, public and commercial buildings consume an estimated 1/3rd of global energy, which is used to heat, cool, light, and ventilate the structures we use every day. As more people move to cities and the developing world continues to modernize, energy consumption is only expected to increase. It is estimated that 70% of the world’s population will be living in urban areas by 2050.
Because of this reality, we need to find an innovative method to preserve limited resources such as water, energy, food, and land. Therefore, we need to ‘rethink’ how energy is supplied and used within cities and buildings so that we can become less dependent on ‘coal-fired power plants’, which significantly increases ‘Greenhouse gas’ (GHG) emissions and contributes to the effects of climate change [1]. We have a narrow window of opportunity to ensure buildings are well-designed, with quality construction and optimization for energy efficiency.
As mentioned above that buildings should be ‘well-designed’, which doesn’t mean architecture should be simply pleasing to the eye or a design that functions well, though both of these things are important. A well-designed building that is focused on energy efficiency must take into account such factors as, ‘the surrounding climate’, ‘the orientation of the building’, and ‘the behaviors of its inhabitants’. Considerations such as energy saving-lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation are pivotal during the building’s design phase [2].
But unfortunately, museums buildings are simply not built this way, tearing down an inefficient museum building is more expensive, and excessively more wasteful, than retrofitting it to make it more energy-efficient [3]. In fact, many people have the miscomprehension that it takes a considerable investment to improve the efficiency and sustainability of existing museum buildings. This is simply not true. Replacing inefficient lighting with ‘LED lights’ or replacing single-paned windows with more efficient ‘double or triple-glazed window systems' are just two examples of relatively simple upgrades that save significant utility costs [4].
Museums Are the Most Energy-Intensive than Other Buildings
Museums represent an interesting case in the field of energy efficiency among monumental buildings within the context of sustainable development and climate change mitigation measures. Museum buildings present high energy demand for air-conditioning due to their architectonical and structural characteristics, such as the presence of large exhibition rooms and open spaces. At the same time, temperature and humidity have to be strictly controlled in order to assure proper micro-climate conditions for the conservation of the housed collections and adequate thermal comfort for visitors and personnel [5-6].
Effective Ways to Be Energy-Efficient Within the Museum Sectors
Energy efficiency along with waste reduction is a key priority. Using limited materials means using less energy, and to follow this, a famous mantra has arisen, to be implemented in this order – ‘Rethink’, ‘Refuse’, ‘Reduce’, ‘Reuse’, ‘Refurbish’, ‘Repair’, ‘Repurpose’, and ‘Recycle’. Used as a checklist of priorities to all areas where the improvement is needed rather than using very brief statements [7]. The Museums Association (UK) has produced a “Sustainability Checklist”, that urge museums to build sustainability into their long term plans and day to day operations. They are as follow:
Lights, unnecessary computers, printers, and laboratory equipment should be turned off overnight and when not in use during the day
Replace dead light bulbs with energy-efficient alternatives in needed places
All printers should be default set to print on both sides of the paper
Institution should regularly conduct an energy audit.
Rinsing treatments should be revised to assess water flow, duration, and potential for reuse of rinse water
Temperature settings should accord to human comfort
Environmental standards for collections should be reviewed to identify potential energy savings.
Timers or motion sensors for lights should be placed where possible
Adaptations should be made to the building to reduce energy loss, such as insulation and draft reduction
The energy audit should be regularly analyzed to determine the carbon footprint of conservation activities
Alternative sources of green energy production and heat generation should be regularly investigated [8, 9]
Initiatives of International Communities on Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development Goals in Museum Sectors
There are great opportunities to bring the world’s museum community together to work in the same direction toward climate goals. Recognizing this issue, the ICOM (International Council of Museums) unanimously adopted a resolution asserting that all museums have a role to play in shaping and creating a sustainable future [10-12].
The Bizot Group (a group of the world's leading museums) agreed to the Bizot Green Protocol in 2015. NMDC (National Museum Director’s Council) UK, adopted these standards and recognizes that museums need to approach long-term collections to care in a way that does not require excessive use of energy, whilst recognizing their duty of care to collections [13].
Museums make a difference in fighting climate change
At this point it is not enough for museums and heritage centers to just ‘fill in as landmarks’ to the ‘safeguarding’, but also they should startup focus on the ‘conservation’. As climate change imprudently rears its ugly head, major institutions have a new responsibility of consciousness when it comes to their impact on the environment [14].
Like businesses, shops, organizations, and of course private individuals, museums also have a duty to operate in a more ‘eco-conscious’ manner. As seen in the ‘LEED’ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) project database, about 150 museums around the world have earned LEED green building certification. Approximately 300 more have registered to go green. This is quite a feat for a complex building type. There are growing numbers of ‘LEED-certified’ museums around the world. This list includes projects in the United States, Canada, Greece, China, Korea, Brazil, Turkey, Palestine, and the Philippines [8, 15]
What is Sustainable Museums (Suseums)?
The museums that are forced to maintain strict conservation conditions and that have historically ignored energy efficiency, transforming their practices and structures to align with sustainable development and the fight against climate change. The sustainable museums of the 21st century are energy-efficient, sustainably managed, and raise public awareness of environmental issues [16-17].
Inception of Sustainability-Based Museums in Abroad and India
The green museum movement began primarily in children’s museums, with the Children’s Discovery Museum, (United States) becoming the first LEED-certified children’s museum in 2005. Since then, many museums have conformed to this suit, including the Brooklyn Children’s Museum (New York), the Boston Children’s Museum (United States), the Grand Rapids Art Museum(United States), and many more [18].
In India, Energy Alternatives India (EAI), a renewable energy research firm, has launched the country’s first ‘Sustainability Museum’ in Chennai in 2013 to create awareness among people about eco-friendly products and practices [19].
Museums taking on the challenge to highlight the sustainability issues
Sustainability is a huge global issue, and museums can both highlight and actively fight for it. “Sarah Sutton”, the ‘Principal of Sustainable Museums’ has led the cultural sector for “We Are Still In”, the largest coalition of non-state supporters of the ‘Paris Climate Agreement’ everywhere in the world since 2017. Sutton said, “The first assessment can be an in-depth assessment or a simpler approach to raise awareness” [20]. Fortunately, several cultural institutions have already shown their willingness to act decisively on such critical issues. Highlighting the social issues and encouraging action is nothing new for museums, as evidenced by exhibitions that have taken place both around the world and over the years. This shows how museums can use their platform to highlight issues [21].
Preserving the past, educating the present and shaping the future come at an obvious cost. Museums are non-formal institutions of education, and the issue of environmentalism does provide an opportunity for museums to embrace the current fight against climate change with open arms. People around the world are looking for more information and more chances to be active, and museums should be well-placed to provide information regarding this. One of the greatest advantages in museum and culture field is ‘deep creativity’. Museums are full of educators, designers, architects, engineers, scientists, artists, historians, futurists, planners, and the most important is our ‘audiences’. If we draw upon the energy, ingenuity, and expertise of our community together, and add that to what we can learn from experts in other fields, for sure, we can ‘define’ and ‘solve’ any problem that may stand in our way to a ‘greener future’.
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