The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is trialling cutting edge energy saving equipment at it's Coalbrookdale Headquarters, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, which is estimated to reduce the site's annual electricity consumption by around 10%.
The trust commissioned an energy audit in 2020 which amongst other recommendations identified the potential for financial and carbon output reductions through the installation of a 'Voltage Optimiser' (VO). The device uses a process called ‘harmonisation’ to reduce the supply voltage to match the requirements of modern electrical equipment, reducing energy wastage in the process. The audit estimates an annual consumption reduction of 14,500 kWh through installation of the VO, saving 3.4 metric tons of CO2 emissions each year - the equivalent of charging over 400,000 smart phones!
Within 3.5 years the new equipment will have paid for itself and contributed to the Museum’s efforts to reduce emissions from its operations. "It's really important that we take steps to minimise our impact on the environment" says Rory Hunter, Estates Facilities & Projects Director at the museum. "Through telling the stories of the innovations that laid the foundations for the modern world, we hope that we will inspire a new generation of problem solvers to tackle the challenges we now face".
In December 2022 IGMT will install similar devices at Blists Hill Victorian Town - the largest consumer of power in the museum estate - which will be funded by the MEND programme.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport funds MEND which is administered by Arts Council England.
