Museum decarbonisation case studies
To support the objectives of UK Museum COP, NMDC worked with Buro Happold and Flint + Partners on a series of case studies about potential improvements to the energy performance of six different museum sites across the country.
Buro Happold conducted desk research and site visits to identify where changes could be made to make buildings more energy efficient and reduce carbon emissions.
Each case study considers three categories: quick wins, maintenance, and capital projects, and within these demonstrates a range of potential carbon savings for individual measures – ranging from reviewing boiler controls or time schedules, to more ambitious interventions such as upgrading roof insulation, window repairs, or replacing gas boilers with Air Source Heat Pumps.
Aware that many museums haven’t yet carried out baseline surveys or carbon audits due to capacity and affordability, and that some who have done so can’t share results widely due to commercial sensitivities, these six museums agreed to share the findings publicly to increase sector literacy about potential improvements and outline costs.
The aim of the studies and accompanying costs is to provide some indicative examples of measures and savings which could be replicated in other museums of similar build and circumstance. They are also indicative of wider sector needs as many museums across the country may operate in buildings with similar conditions.
We know there are existing needs for maintenance and repair – the hugely over-subscribed Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) has illustrated this. We hope that future rounds of MEND or similar funding for museums will expand to incorporate environmental changes to reduce the carbon emissions of museum buildings.
NMDC hopes that by publishing these detailed investigations of six museum sites, other museums will be inspired and gain the confidence to start developing their own decarbonisation plans.
Carbon savings and estimated costs:
Over the six museum sites, annual carbon savings of approximately 448 tonnes of CO2 were identified through several different measures, equivalent to 75 UK households (based on average UK household emitting 6tCO2 a year).
At a cost of £30,949,700 substantial investment will be needed in museum estates to realise these carbon reductions. However, as the case studies outline, there are also significant improvements that can be made from relatively quick wins for less expense.
The importance of baseline carbon surveys to identify such measures cannot be overstated, as implementing these may mitigate potentially larger costs of more advanced maintenance or capital work, for which considerably more external funding is necessary.
*all carbon savings and costs are estimates. See case study document for full details.
Beyond the case studies, there is a major opportunity for wide-spread decarbonisation of museum estates. Buro Happold’s review of the 251 museum buildings with publicly accessible Display Energy Certificates (DEC) shows that improving the energy performance of only the 19 buildings with the worst energy rating of G up to a C alone would potentially save 12,000 tonnes of C02 per year. The potential savings sector-wide for improvements are therefore huge.
As well as the case study summary document, more detailed costings are available on request for those working in the museum sector. Please email Kathryn Simpson for further details.
For further information about Buro Happold services contact Andrew Wylie and Jason Cox.