Charlie, the only thing I would keep a close eye on is humidity. Cooler air can hold less moisture, so the relative humidity tends to rise as the temperature goes down. If your heating system is keeping your building pretty dry, that may be all to the good.  

- Anne 
Anne T. Lane
Collections Manager
704.568.1774 x110 phone
704.566.1817 fax
[log in to unmask]
 
The Charlotte Museum of History and Hezekiah Alexander Homesite
Where  History Has a Home
3500 Shamrock Drive
Charlotte, NC  28215-3214
www.charlottemuseum.org
 
Featured Exhibits:
Charlotte Stories: Our Collections, Your Treasures
Charlotte Neighborhoods: Center City
An Invitation to the White House
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Charlie Knight
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2008 10:18 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Temperature

I have a question regarding keeping a constant temperature/RH in exhibit areas. Our main museum is housed in a mid-19th century Court House (2 floors) and currently we keep the temperature between 68-72, usually right at 70, although some galleries run much higher temps than others. However, we have been instructed by our Dept Head (we are a City bureau) to reduce our energy consumption to cut our costs - obviously lights can be turned off when we're not open, but the temperature controls must remain on for the welfare of the artifacts on exhibit. So my question is would there be any harm in lowering our temperature by two (2) degrees, for a target range of 66-70?

Charlie Knight
MacArthur Memorial

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).