Museum sheds light on energy Published June 25, 2010 By Museum of Aviation and Base Energy Office ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The Museum of Aviation knows a thing or two about saving energy. Since fiscal 2008, the museum has successfully reduced its overall electrical usage by more than 10 percent, saving nearly $26,000 on its annual electric utility bill. The museum's "in-house" initiatives have included installing occupancy sensors on restroom lighting; installing timers on outdoor lighting; and reducing exhibit hours by 25 percent while also installing just-in-time on/off lighting to its exhibits and just-in-time power to its "interactives." It's reaped its biggest savings, however, simply by changing many light bulbs. "Heat and ultraviolet rays from standard light sources can damage many of the artifacts," said Mike Rowland, museum curator. "However, it wasn't until recently that light-emitting diode and fiber optic lighting, which is both affordable and produces natural color, has become available." To date, more than a third of the museum's exhibit cases have been retrofitted with high-output LED lighting, which uses 80 percent less wattage, according to Willie Mangham, museum lighting electrician. The museum has also replaced more than 1,200 exhibit lights with 20-watt bulbs instead of 50-watt bulbs and is in the process of replacing 1,000-watt lights with 150-watt low-voltage exhibit lighting. The museum plans to replace all incandescent lighting with more energy-efficient fixtures. "Our strategic goal is to continue to find ways to effectively reduce overall electrical usage by 5 percent each year," said Ken Emery, museum director.