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Wrd02 LEDs

The Durango County Museum installed a new exhibit featuring historic photographs and conducted a study comparing the costs and benefits of using LED lights versus traditional halogen lamps. While LED lights have a higher upfront purchase price, they use less energy, do not emit harmful UV light, and last much longer. A cost analysis found that over a 10-year period, LED lights provided a 66% cost reduction compared to halogen lamps due to their longer lifespan and lower energy use. The report recommends using LED lights for all new exhibits and replacing failed halogen bulbs with LED versions.

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Deon Conway
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305 views3 pages

Wrd02 LEDs

The Durango County Museum installed a new exhibit featuring historic photographs and conducted a study comparing the costs and benefits of using LED lights versus traditional halogen lamps. While LED lights have a higher upfront purchase price, they use less energy, do not emit harmful UV light, and last much longer. A cost analysis found that over a 10-year period, LED lights provided a 66% cost reduction compared to halogen lamps due to their longer lifespan and lower energy use. The report recommends using LED lights for all new exhibits and replacing failed halogen bulbs with LED versions.

Uploaded by

Deon Conway
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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In April 2014, the Durango County Museum of History installed a small

exhibit titled Our heritage: Pictures from the past. The collection
consists of five daguerreotypes and several silver albumen prints. A
study was made to measure the benefits and costs of using L.E.D.
lights instead of traditional halogen lamps.
RISKS OF LIGHTING HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS
All lighting harms photographs. It is the task of the conservator to
minimize this harm so that the photographs can be viewed for a
significant span of time, typically 50 to 100 years. For these reasons,
historical photographs are displayed only periodically in rooms with
significantly reduced lighting. These practices minimize the visitor
experience and according to Hunt, reducing light levels diminishes
color saturation and contrast.
In all lighting systems, ultraviolet light (UV) must be eliminated as that
spectrum harms photographs the most. Halogen lights must have UV
filters installed which adds to their cost and effectiveness. L.E.D. lamps
do not emit UV light and do not need extra filters. According to a study
by the Getty Conservation Institute, fading from L.E.D. lamps does not
result in any more damage than conventional halogen lamps with
ultraviolet filtering. They found that it is likely using L.E.D. lamps
results in less fading of photographic materials.
METHODOLOGY

In the new exhibit, 12 watt PAR38 20 lamps were utilized. The


temperature rating for these lamps was 2700 Kelvin. Although the
L.E.D. light output was significantly less than traditional halogen lamps,
some screening was still needed. UV filters were not installed because
LED lights do not emit any significant levels of ultra-violet light. This
simplified the installation process.
In the past, the museum curator would have lighted the exhibit with 60
watt, PAR38 30 120V halogen flood lamps. UV filters were installed
over each lamp, and then each light was screened down to decrease
the light output to the desired level.
The cost of purchase, installation, and electricity consumed during the
exhibit were monitored and recorded. Using past records of exhibits
using Halogen lamps, a cost-benefit analysis was conducted by
comparing the two sets of data.
COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS
Studies show that the higher initial costs of L.E.D. lighting systems is
usually offset by less energy consumption and reduced replacement
costs due to their long life span. (Wiggens, et al. 2010) Our findings are
consistent with this hypothesis:
The purchase price is more expensive than Halogen lamps by a factor
of 18.5.
Halogen lamps would have increased electricity costs by a factor of 6.
L.E.D. lamp life is longer by a factor of 16.67.

Using the three factors given above, a 10 year life-cycle analysis was
conducted. With the costs annualized over a 10 year period, L.E.D.
lamps provided a cost reduction over Halogen lamps of 66%.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the data, this report recommends the following:
Use L.E.D. lighting in all new exhibits.
In existing exhibits, replace failed halogen lights with L.E.D.
replacement lamps.
Conduct a similar cost-benefit analysis for non-exhibit areas of the
museum.
Share study findings with all City Hall departments.
Using L.E.D. lighting not only cuts museum expenditures, it reduces
overall demand for electricity. Thus converting to L.E.D. lights benefits
both the organizations bottom line and the environment. The study
supports the citys decision to find ways to utilize L.E.D. lighting in city
operations.

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