LED LIGHTS

A Museum Exhibit Case Study

By Maggie Cronk

September 10, 2018

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 LED lights
instead of traditional halogen lamps.

RISKS OF LIGHTING HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS

All lighting harms photographs. (Lavedrine 2003) 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. (Hunt 1952, 192)

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. LED lamps do not emit UV light and do not need extra filters. According to a
study by the Getty Conservation Institute, fading from LED lamps does not result in any more
damage than conventional halogen lamps with ultraviolet filtering. They found that it is likely
using LED lamps results in less fading of photographic materials. (Druzik and Miller 2015)

METHODOLOGY

In the new exhibit, 12 watt PAR38 20° lamps were utilized. The temperature rating for
these lamps was 2700 Kelvin. Although the LED light output was significantly less than
traditional halogen lamps, some screening was still needed. UV filters were not installed
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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.1

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 LED 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 6.2
 LED lamp life is longer by a factor of 16.67.3

Using the three factors given above, a 10 year life-cycle analysis was conducted. With
the costs annualized over a 10 year period, LED lamps provided a cost reduction over Halogen
lamps of 66%.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the data, this report recommends the following:

1. Use LED lighting in all new exhibits.

2. In existing exhibits, replace failed halogen lights with LED replacement lamps.
3. Conduct a similar cost-benefit analysis for non-exhibit areas of the museum.
4. Share study findings with all City Hall departments.

Using LED lighting not only cuts museum expenditures, it reduces overall demand for
electricity. Thus converting to LED lights benefits both the organization’s ‘bottom line’ and the

1
Screening is the process of installing layers of metal window screen.
2
A blended electricity rate was used. This averages time-of-use, demand charges, and fees.
3
Derived from industry standards.

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environment. The study supports the city’s decision to find ways to utilize LED lighting in city
operations.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Druzik, Jim, and Naomi Miller. 2015. Guidelines for Selecting Solid State Lightning for Museums .
Accessed April 13, 2018.
https://www.getty.edu/conservation/our_projects/science/lighting/lighting_component8.html .

Hunt, Robert W. 1952. "Light and Dark Adaptation and Perception of Color." Journal of the Optical
Society of America 190-199.

Lavedrine, Bertrand. 2003. A Guide to the Preventive Conservation of Photograph Collections. Los
Angeles : Getty Conservation Institute .

Wiggens, Matthew, Kurtis McKenney, John Dieckmann, and James Brodrick. 2010. "Solid-State Lighting,
Part 2: Applications." ASHRAE Journal (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air
Conditioning Engineers, Inc.) 52 (2): 78,80-81.

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