Environment and Culture Partners (ECP), a non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening and broadening the environmental leadership of the cultural sector, announced the release of the Min/Max Dashboard on Carbon Day, 16 June 2026.
This new tool has been developed to enable museum collections and facilities professionals to explore how environmental conditions affect energy use, costs, and carbon emissions, and to adopt sustainable practices.
In this, the Dashboard specifically considers the impact of temperature and relative humidity (T/RH).
By merging building energy modelling, conservation science, and real-world museum data, this new tool supports better-informed, more confident decision-making and helps museums minimise environmental impact while upholding high standards of collections care.
The initiative has found that broader environmental ranges of 61°F to 77°F and 40% to 60% RH within controlled limits can reduce energy use and associated costs while maintaining appropriate conditions for many types of artefacts.
Sarah Sutton, CEO, Environment & Culture Partners, says: "We know that many colleagues are curious about broadening parameters and uncovering the benefits. But many are looking for information specific to their situation, data that guidelines cannot provide.
"This tool helps anyone safely explore a seemingly complex process, and understand the real potential for saving money, effort, and carbon while upholding their collections responsibilities."
Based on real-world data
The Dashboard forms part of the wider Min/Max project (2024–2027), a US national research initiative led by ECP and funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
It tackles the museum sector's growing challenge of balancing responsible collections care with the realities of a changing climate, the need for more efficient energy use, and the goal of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Many institutions adhere to narrow environmental setpoints (70°F and 50% RH), which can be challenging to maintain across diverse buildings, geographic climates, and mechanical systems, thereby increasing energy demand and costs.
However, with the Dashboard, institutions now have a practical way to explore alternatives and test scenarios based on variables such as climate zone, building size, or HVAC system type.
Drawing on data from real museums and conservation science, the Dashboard turns the project's detailed building energy modelling into an interactive tool.
This means that users can evaluate potential impacts on energy use, operating costs, and collection conditions, helping them select the most appropriate approaches and broader parameters for their institution and progress towards implementation and lower energy costs.
Adaptable, data-informed decisions
Led by ECP, the project is grounded in the nonprofit’s mission to boost the cultural sector’s environmental leadership for a brighter climate future.
The ECP team's expertise in collections care is combined with deep knowledge of museum operations and facilities. As such, the Dashboard addresses the realities and needs of museums and the teams that manage their collection environments.
The study is being carried out in collaboration with the New Buildings Institute (NBI), a nonprofit, and A2 Efficiency, a consultancy specialising in sustainable building performance.
The development of the Dashboard was spearheaded by NBI, with the building energy model created by A2 Efficiency in partnership with the wider project team.
Additionally, a network of cross-sector advisors helped form the project and ensure it aligns with current practice, and included Facility Issues (museum facilities), Sustainable Heritage (sustainable preservation), Conserv (art conservation), and McClure Engineering (engineering).
Eight art museums supplied building and collections data, and many are currently testing broadened environmental parameters in their spaces as part of the project.
These institutions included: Eiteljorg Museum, Kentucky Museum, Museum of International Folk Art, New Orleans Museum of Art, Spencer Museum of Art, Tacoma Art Museum, The American Swedish Institute, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Their input ensures the model's technical findings are contextualised by their practical performance, adding the human experience to system readings and numerical data.
Tiffani Emig, deputy director, American Institute for Conservation & Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, says: "…this is gold…the financial implications are going to be so helpful for casemaking.
"I love the model of providing a quick start guide for someone who just wants to dive in along with a more detailed manual for people who want to understand the details. Though, to be honest, I just jumped right in playing with the dashboard and had no trouble figuring it out."
By launching the Dashboard ahead of the project’s conclusion in February 2027, ECP and its partners offer early access to this work and support institutions as they consider more adaptable, data-informed approaches.
Ongoing field testing will add to the Dashboard and model insights, as well as guidance for the sector. Although the research is US-based, its framework and products can be applied globally.
Last year, ECP shared a video that showcases how cultural institutions can drive positive change, produced by partner America is All In, the largest coalition of climate action leaders in the United States.
Rebecca Hardy has over 10 years' experience in the culture and heritage sector. She studied Fine Art at university and has written for a broad range of creative organisations including artists, galleries, and retailers. When she's not writing, she spends her time getting lost in the woods and making mud pies with her young son.
