Roswell museum switches to LED lighting


Roswell museum switches to LED lighting

By: Roswell Daily Record

Published on April 8, 2019

Newly installed LED lighting at the Roswell Museum and Art Center will save on electricity costs and help preserve art works and artifacts, according to an XCel Energy manager. (Submitted Photo)

Artist James Turrell once said, “Light is not so much something that reveals, as it is itself the revelation.”

While Turrell might not have had LED lighting in mind as he penned those words, the Roswell Museum and Art Center is now using LED lighting to better reveal its priceless collection of Southwest art and artifacts. It’s saving money, too.

A recently completed retrofit made possible through an Xcel Energy efficiency program has enhanced the quality of light illuminating the museum’s collection. And because LED bulbs use 70% to 90% less energy and last at least 15 times longer than traditional lighting, the Roswell Museum can save up to $14,000 a year on lighting costs.

Mike McLeod, Xcel regional manager for community and economic development in Roswell, said LED lighting technology has advanced to the point where it is the best choice in almost any application, but is especially beneficial in art galleries and museums.

“LEDs don’t produce ultraviolet light, which can be harmful to paintings and fragile historical artifacts,” McLeod said. “And they provide instant light at full brightness while emitting a more directed light using less energy. These benefits are even more apparent in a museum setting because our eyes take in a large amount of visual information at once, and LEDs provide superior clarity.”

Through Xcel Energy’s lighting program, facilities such as the Roswell Museum can qualify for rebates to offset the cost of retrofitting with LED lighting. Xcel Energy uses approved contractors to guide customers through the process and verify the potential savings from investing in energy efficient lighting. CLEAResult, a leading energy efficiency contractor, coordinated the project for the Roswell Museum and Art Center. As part of the project, the museum is providing space for Xcel Energy to display information about LED lighting and the company’s lighting efficiency programs.

“It’s a terrific community partnership that involved a lot of hard work from CLEAResult, the city of Roswell and also J&G Electric, which provided the labor and supplies to retrofit all the museum’s lighting inside and out with LEDs,” McLeod said.