Energy saving and environmental control

Todd Ellison <ellison_t<-a t->fortlewis< . >edu> writes

>How can one plan for energy savings in the climate controlled areas
>of a new museum/archives/library?  I'm aware of the last two years'
>debate about whether the temperature and RH must be kept within
>tight bounds; but assuming that one comes down on the side of not
>letting the environmental conditions vary much, what can be built
>into a structure to keep the utility costs from becoming exorbitant?


Unfortunately, there is no separate module available for saving
energy.  This has to be incorporated in all phases of a construction
project, from using construction materials and techniques that might
be more expensive than others but will save in the long run, by
looking carefully at the needs of collections to determine how much
control they need, and to have advisers who can design the system
that gives the desired results in the most efficient manner. There
is sometimes a trade-off between sort- and long-term costs;
maintenance costs need to be factored into this.  It is important to
consider all the alternatives carefully first, as it is a shame to
spend money on systems which cannot be kept in operation.  (There
are examples of institutions where this has happened!)

Barbara Appelbaum

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:71
                 Distributed: Monday, February 10, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-10-71-009
                                  ***