their goal to provide greater access to energy-efficient products for businesses

As part of the collaborative agreement with Efficiency Maine, the bulbs received third-party independent testing. With the test outcome more successful than expected, Efficiency Maine has agreed to assist the project with a commitment of more than $13,000 towards material costs. That commitment gives the Farnsworth confidence that the project is a worthy one and will assist Efficiency Maine in their goal to provide greater access to energy-efficient products for businesses and individuals across the state of Maine.

With oversight by the Farnsworth’s curatorial department, a rigorous review process identified two specific bulbs that satisfy lighting requirements for most of the museum’s galleries. The LEDtronics PAR30A-15W-XIW-001M LED bulb provides soft and unfocused light, while the led high bay light provides more focused light. Not only do the lamps adequately light the works of art using up to 85% less energy than incandescent lamps, but they also offer—with a CRI of 86—a wider spectrum of light more closely approximating natural light, thus eliminating the adverse color effects of typical incandescent bulbs.

In addition, in the long term the valuable artwork is spared from damaging UV rays that other types of lights are known to emit. LED bulbs produce no ultraviolet rays that traditionally fade the fine colors found in artwork. The new lighting has already been installed in the Library Gallery. Installation in other galleries and work areas will follow. The LED high bay lighting project is a multi-year effort that will make the museum a leader in environmentally responsible practices. Once this initial phase is installed, there will be further incandescent replacements with another 200-300 pieces of the PAR30 LEDs.