AIC's 42nd Annual Meeting

This session will discuss the methodologies and final results of a four-year experiment into the use of mechanical system shutdowns as a method to achieve significant reductions in energy use in cultural institutions without compromising the preservation quality of collections environments. Research has shown that environmental conditions (temperature and relative humidity) are the most significant factors that impact the lifespan of cultural materials held by institutions. Mechanical systems in cultural environments are therefore frequently designed to run continuously in order to maintain the desired environmental conditions, often resulting in a high cost both monetarily and in energy consumption. Altering these conditions through changes in HVAC operating schedules is a risk many institutions have been hesitant to take.


The findings of the research show that the impact of shutdowns varies depending a number of factors, including geographic location and building structure, but that at each experimental site a shutdown routine was found that could successfully reduced energy consumption – sometimes by as much as 40% ¬– without sacrificing the quality of the preservation environment. In addition the research identified practices that informed a number of related subsidiary questions, including how to identify good candidate spaces for shutdowns, identifying the tools and methodology necessary for energy and preservation environment analysis, and the efficacy of various process management models. In addition to the final findings in both preservation and energy impact, this session will also discuss some of the unexpected lessons learned during the process as well as some beneficial side effects of the research and energy analysis at several of the institutions.


This four-year experiment was federally funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and conducted by the Image Permanence Institute (IPI) at the Rochester Institute of Technology and their partner Peter Herzog, principal of Herzog/Wheeler & Associates, a Minnesota-based energy consulting firm. The experimental partners for the research were the Birmingham (AL) Public Library, Cornell University, the New York Public Library, the University of California, Los Angeles, and Yale University.