London’s Design Museum has announced a new partnership with energy consultancy, The Energy Check, as part of the museum’s drive to conserve energy and reduce its carbon footprint.
The Design Museum moved to the former Commonwealth Institute building on Kensington High Street in 2016, undertaking a refurbishment project costing £83million. Through this new partnership, the energy saving experts at The Energy Check will help the museum take steps to reduce energy consumption at the 10,000m2 Grade II listed building. As a not-for-profit organisation that has received more than £7million in grant funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England in recent years, The Energy Check’s role in helping to negotiate the best prices on energy contracts and identify cost-saving opportunities is a crucial one. Having procured the Museum a £15,000 saving on energy in 2019, the partnership is already proving to be a fruitful one.
Alice Black, Co-Director of the Design Museum, said: _ “We are delighted to announce this new partnership with The Energy Check.”
“By working closely with The Energy Check’s specialist team we hope to implement meaningful changes that will both enhance the museum’s energy efficiency and lower costs, allowing us to invest more into the exhibitions, learning programmes and events that make the Design Museum the leading museum of design and architecture in the world.”
Chief Executive Officer at The Energy Check, David Winton, said: “The Design Museum is one of the UK’s most iconic and important institutions and we are thrilled to be partnering with the team here. Attention to detail and commitment to excellence are traits that visitors have come to expect from the exhibitions and collections on display at the museum, and we intend to demonstrate the same qualities through our own energy conservation work over the coming months.”
Given that the Design Museum has undergone significant renovation work in recent years, the venue’s BREEAM sustainability credentials are already classed as “Very Good”. These include LED lighting in all public areas, variable speed drives on all motors, a Building Management System and heating from a CHP based District Heating Scheme. Nevertheless, The Energy Check has been able to recommend improvements designed to optimise energy efficiency whilst protecting the Museum’s more delicate exhibits.
David Winton says, “Energy conservation techniques are moving on all the time and so it is important that venues like the Design Museum are constantly reviewing and refining their systems and infrastructure. Through new innovations and behavioural changes among staff – as well as effective procurement – there are almost always opportunities to lower overheads and reduce emissions.”