2025 Poster Session

Museums serve as essential institutions for preserving and displaying human history and civilization, with strict control of temperature and humidity traditionally seen as a cornerstone of collection care. However, as global discussions around climate change and energy conservation intensify, museums are increasingly recognizing their responsibility to contribute to environmental sustainability while continuing to safeguard their valuable collections. CHIMEI Museum, situated in the subtropical climate of Taiwan, has long adhered to a 24-hour air conditioning system to maintain optimal environmental conditions for its collections, resulting in substantial energy consumption. The air conditioning system alone accounts for 40% to 60% of the museum's overall energy use.

    Responding to the mounting pressure to reduce energy costs and carbon footprints, CHIMEI Museum has embarked on a significant journey to optimize its energy usage without compromising its collections. This endeavor, which began in 2014 when the museum relocated to its current site, is a testament to the collaborative spirit of the museum's collections manager, conservator, and air conditioning engineer. Together, they initiated a series of energy-saving measures, including raising the temperature set point from 22±2°C to 23±1°C in 2015 and further to 23±2°C in 2018. This gradual shift marked the first step toward balancing energy efficiency with conservation needs.

    In 2021, CHIMEI Museum took its energy-saving efforts to the next level with an innovative strategy. The museum adopted an intermittent operation mode during non-operational hours (19:00–07:00), where fourteen air handling units were successively set to operate at reduced frequencies (from 43Hz to 30Hz) and follow a cycle of 45 minutes off, followed by two hours on. By 2023, this forward-thinking approach resulted in approximately 3.5% energy savings in one year. Throughout these adjustments, conservators closely monitored critical works of art, ensuring that no adverse effects on the artworks were observed.

    Monthly meetings between the museum's collections manager, conservator, and air conditioning engineer have been essential in fine-tuning the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System. During these meetings, temperature and humidity data from the galleries were meticulously reviewed, and adjustments were made to ensure that environmental conditions remained within acceptable parameters for the collection's preservation. 

Throughout this period, conservator continuously monitored a 12th-century Catalonian wall painting near the exhibition entrance and a 1924 oil painting on canvas by Moïse Kisling in a distant gallery to ensure no harmful changes occurred, the original cracks have not significantly expanded. Given the success of these initiatives, CHIMEI Museum plans to expand these energy-saving practices to other galleries in the near future. This initiative represents a sustainable model for museums worldwide, balancing the dual priorities of environmental stewardship and cultural heritage preservation.