EDC May 2012 : Page-37E

Museum Moves Forward with Sustainability MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM INSTALLS LED LUMINAIRES, REDUCING CONSUMPTION AND COSTS. By Jeff Gatzow Museums typically occupy energy-hungry buildings and have expanding collections, which they aim to keep in tightly controlled environmen-tal conditions. While museums are not eligi-ble to receive an ENERGY STAR label like other such facilities as offices and hotels, they can still use the program’s online tools and resources to improve their energy efficiency and decrease their greenhouse gas emis-sions. A museum that improves its energy efficiency by 10 percent has met the ENERGY STAR Challenge — a national call-to-action for organizations to benchmark and reduce their energy consumption. With the launch of its entertainment-sector program this past summer, the ENERGY STAR program is urging facili-ties that welcome visitors and travelers to proactively fight global climate change. Ac-cording to the Environmental Protection Agency, such places spend approximately $4.6 bil-lion a year on energy. The ENERGY STAR program encourages the entertainment sector to consider the benefits of such green practices, noting that people are “increasingly con-cerned with the environmental impact” of the locations they visit. So far, 11 museums have taken the ENERGY STAR Chal-lenge or become ENERGY STAR partners, signifying that they have formally committed to a number of energy-tracking and consumption-reduction steps. MILWAUKEE COUNTY’S GREEN PRINT As a way to use resources more efficiently to minimize financial and environmental impact, Mil-waukee County set forth a series of initiatives to promote practic-es intended to control operating costs and improve the quality of life for the citizens of Milwaukee County through sound environ-mental stewardship. In 2007, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervi-sors and County Executive approved the Green Print Initiatives. One of the many goals includes retrofitting public buildings with high-performance, energy-efficient technology to save money. To that end, the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) recently installed LED luminaires in the indoor loading dock area. MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM The Milwaukee Public Mu-seum in Milwaukee, Wis., is an intersection of human history and natural science. From its modest beginnings in 1882, the Milwaukee Public Museum has grown to house more than 4.5 million specimens and artifacts. I THINK THIS LED INSTALLATION IS THE FIRST OF MANY SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES FOR THE MPM. 37E edc may .2012

Museum Moves Forward With Sustainability

Jeff Gatzow

MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM INSTALLS LED LUMINAIRES, REDUCING CONSUMPTION AND COSTS. I THINK THIS LED INSTALLATION IS THE FIRST OF MANY SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES FOR THE MPM. Museums typically occupy energy-hungry buildings and have expanding collections, which they aim to keep in tightly controlled environmental conditions. While museums are not eligible to receive an ENERGY STAR label like other such facilities as offices and hotels, they can still use the program’s online tools and resources to improve their energy efficiency and decrease their greenhouse gas emissions.A museum that improves its energy efficiency by 10 percent has met the ENERGY STAR Challenge — a national call-to-action for organizations to benchmark and reduce their energy consumption. With the launch of its entertainment-sector program this past summer, the ENERGY STAR program is urging facilities that welcome visitors and travelers to proactively fight global climate change. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, such places spend approximately $4.6 billion a year on energy. The ENERGY STAR program encourages the entertainment sector to consider the benefits of such green practices, noting that people are “increasingly concerned with the environmental impact” of the locations they visit. So far, 11 museums have taken the ENERGY STAR Chal- Museum Moves Forward with Sustainability MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM INSTALLS LED LUMINAIRES, REDUCING CONSUMPTION AND COSTS.Lenge or become ENERGY STAR partners, signifying that they have formally committed to a number of energy-tracking and consumption-reduction steps. MILWAUKEE COUNTY’S GREEN PRINT As a way to use resources more efficiently to minimize financial and environmental impact, Milwaukee County set forth a series of initiatives to promote practices intended to control operating costs and improve the quality of life for the citizens of Milwaukee County through sound environmental stewardship. In 2007, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors and County Executive approved the Green Print Initiatives. One of the many goals includes retrofitting public buildings with highperformance, energy-efficient technology to save money.To that end, the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) recently installed LED luminaires in the indoor loading dock area. MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM The Milwaukee Public Museum in Milwaukee, Wis., is an intersection of human history and natural science. From its modest beginnings in 1882, the Milwaukee Public Museum has grown to house more than 4.5 million specimens and artifacts. With three floors of exhibits, MPM encompasses life-size dioramas, a rain forest and a live butterfly garden, as well as the Humphrey IMAX Dome Theater and the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium. As one of the region’s premier museums and an iconic landmark in Milwaukee, the MPM was aware of the need to replace energy-consuming 100W metal halide lighting in the enclosed loading dock with an environmentally friendly solution. Like many organizations and businesses, the MPM looks for ways to reduce energy consumption and costs, as well as lessen maintenance expenses. Recently the U.S. Department of Energy’s Gateway Program began testing interior LED luminaires in three museums around the country; however, though the MPM is one of the first museums to install LED luminaires for general illumination, it is not included in the Gateway program. Originally, this loading dock had 15 100W metal halide ceiling-mounted fixtures.However, the different color temperatures from fixture to fixture and ongoing ballast problems that left lamps burned out left the illumination in the area extremely poor. A decision was made to explore installing LED luminaires engineered by Everbrite Lighting and installed by Dnesco Electric. Fifteen 93W LED luminaires with eight LEDs have been installed, reducing energy consumption by approximately 30 percent and will virtually eliminate maintenance costs.Additionally, these lower wattage luminaires actually generate 150W of light. In fact, because of the tremendous light output of these new luminaires, the museum is able to remove high pressure sodium wall packs around the dock’s parameter, further increasing the energy savings. “By installing LEDs, the loading dock is brighter and more evenly lit, which really improves the unpacking and packing of priceless traveling exhibits,” says Lead Maintenance Engineer Rick Gutowski.“The installation of LED lighting in this area is truly an asset for MPM.” The DOE has heralded LEDs as the future of lighting because LEDs have an extremely long lifespan when compared to incandescent lighting — in many cases lasting 20 times longer. In addition, LEDs consume considerably less energy and are clean burning, thus reducing carbon emissions significantly. “I think this LED installation is the first of many sustainability initiatives for the MPM,” says Jay Williams, MPM president and CEO. JEFF GATZOW IS EVERBRITE LIGHTING (EL) PRODUCT MANAGER AND MAY BE REACHED AT JGATZOW@EVERBRITE.COM OR 414-529-7178. EVERBRITE LIGHTING WAS ESTABLISHED TO DEDICATE RESOURCES TO THE EMERGING USE OF LED TECHNOLOGY. VISIT WWW.EVERBRITELIGHTING.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION.

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