- ENERGY STAR Partner - The Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields became the first fine art museum recognized by the government, achieving ENERGY STAR certification, for its efforts to become more environmentally responsible.
- Energy Consumption - Years ago, Newfields began to utilize an engineering-based approach to reducing energy consumption. Improved preventive maintenance procedures, a thorough review of operating sequences, and experimentation with equipment settings created dramatic results.
- Green Power - All the Lilly House outbuildings participate in Indianapolis Power and Light’s green energy option. One hundred percent of the electricity used in these buildings is generated from clean, renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, geothermal, or biomass generation.
- Lighting Efficiency - Newfields partnered with Sylvania Lighting Services to improve lighting efficiency throughout the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Standard bulbs were replaced with more energy-efficient bulbs. Motion-sensitive lights were also installed. This reduced energy usage in these areas by 24%.
The original white halogen lights in Sutphin Fountain and Nonie’s Garden were replaced with more energy-efficient LED lights with a life span of about 50,000 hours, or about five years. LED technology saves energy and serves as a unique selling point for clients who rent event facilities, as they may request colorful light shows for weddings, dinners, and other special events.
- Newfields was awarded a 2010 Indiana Department of Energy (IDOE) grant to convert the existing lamps in the parking garage.
- Through Indianapolis Power & Light’s (IPL) Midstream LED program and a National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections grant, Newfields embarked on a campus-wide conversion of all existing incandescent and fluorescent lamps to LED lamps. In the museum galleries this conversion will safeguard the collection, eliminating ultraviolet emissions from lamps and improving color perception and clarity. The conversion will realize a return on investment reflected in reduced electricity utilities costs, a reduced number of lamps purchased per year, and reduced labor costs due to less frequent replacement of the LED lamps.
- Energy Reduction - Newfields was awarded an Indiana Department of Energy grant to replace a boiler in the central plant with a more energy efficient model.
- Dark Mondays - When Newfields is closed on Mondays, the lights in the museum are off. This results in significantly less power consumption.
- Lutron electrical controls - Newfields also uses an electrical control system called Lutron. Lutron gave us the ability to add occupancy sensors to areas with limited traffic. It also allowed us to add daylight harvesting in areas with natural light, allowing the space to dim to a set level automatically.