the Farnsworth to allocate more funds for programs and exhibitions

A critical letter about the use of chemical pesticides on its lawns in 2008 led to a series of steps and decisions at Farnsworth Art Museum that culminated with a resolution to become a leader in environmentally sustainable practices. Converting the entire museum from halogen to led high bay light bulbs was a major part of that decision.

The effort will make the Rockland, Maine, institution one of the first—if not the first—art museums in the nation to use LED lighting for all of its galleries. The lights will dramatically reduce the museum’s energy consumption, allowing the Farnsworth to allocate more funds for programs and exhibitions.

For the LED project, the museum has partnered with Efficiency Maine and California-based LEDtronics. The relamping will not only help protect displayed artwork by reducing the potentially harmful effects of standard lighting on works of art, but it will also provide budget relief while promoting a healthier environment by reducing energy use.

The Farnsworth currently has over 480 bulbs in its galleries with an average of 75 watts per bulb. The museum hopes to replace all of its 75-watt halogen bulbs with 15-watt LED and 14-watt CFL bulbs. The resulting savings on electricity is estimated to be $15,800 annually. Additionally, with the reduction of unwanted heat that the LED high bay lighting and CFL bulbs will provide, the project is expected to produce a savings of 127,950 unwanted BTUs per hour, and a savings of 10.6 tons per hour of cooling.