It will be 1 degree warmer in the public areas of the Pierre Lassonde pavilion at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec this summer. Little perceptible to visitors, this change is part of a global reflection led by major museums on their energy consumption.

In Europe, the renowned Guggenheim Museums in Bilbao and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam have relaxed their standards to allow a wider variety of temperatures and humidity levels in some galleries, which, the New York Times reports, allows them to Save thousands of euros per month.

In the United States, around sixty California museums sign up to PST Art’s climate impact program, which encourages institutions to minimize their environmental impact.

The idea that works of art and artifacts should be preserved in extremely controlled conditions is relatively new. Since the publication in 1978 of The Museum Environment by curator Garry Thomson, major museums have begun to apply strict control of climatic conditions, i.e. a temperature of 21°C (plus or minus 1°C) and a rate of relative humidity of 50% (plus or minus 3%).

She adds that the standard of 21°C was suggested for the comfort of visitors. Thus, slightly reducing the temperature inside Canadian museums in winter would save energy while being beneficial for the collections.

Faced with the questioning of these standards by researchers, the ICC proposed to Canadian museums, around twenty years ago, more flexible guidelines which will also be updated soon. But most do not take advantage of these margins of maneuver considered safe for the works, according to Marianne Breault. “Precise control of the environment has become a quest for museums, a guarantee of excellence. It’s complex to combat this preconceived idea,” she notes. Especially since many collaborate with other international institutions for the loan of works.

“There’s this game of who’s going to do it first, but over the last ten years, we’ve seen a growing interest. With growing challenges and increasing energy costs, we must adapt. »

In the province, the National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec (MNBAQ), through its status as a state museum, was required by the provincial government to include energy saving in its development plan. action in sustainable development.

The institution has decided to review the relative humidity level in its exhibition rooms. Previously set at 50%, it is now 45% in winter and 55% in summer, except when lenders require the old standard. “It allows us to follow the changing seasons more naturally and reduce energy costs,” notes Annie Bérubé. These expenses (electricity and natural gas) represent approximately 2.7% of the MNBAQ’s total budget. The financial impact of this measure has not yet been quantified.

The museum also plans to reduce the air conditioning by raising the temperature from 21°C to 22°C in the public areas of the Pierre Lassonde pavilion. For the moment, the exhibition rooms are not affected, but the reflection continues.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) plans to evaluate this year “very seriously” what it would entail to review the strict rules for temperatures and relative humidity in its buildings. “We have to evaluate the capacity in terms of the building and the machinery, see the type of works we have in each room. Do we create a microclimate for certain works? Should we bring together works that are more sensitive in other rooms to be able to maintain other types of standards? “, explains Carolina Calle Sandoval, head of exhibition administration.

The MMFA is also in discussions with other museums around the world to learn about their practices.

After taking steps to improve the energy efficiency of its two buildings, the McCord Stewart Museum is also considering environmental control.

“We are in the process of revising the range with which we are comfortable,” underlines Martine Couillard, head of government and institutional relations and co-responsible for sustainable development with her colleague Caroline Truchon. “We are trying to see if, for less fragile goods, we could relax the standards on some of our reserves. »

The reality of Quebec museums is different from that of European museums, which do not have to deal with our harsh winters, notes Caroline Truchon, senior project manager, Exhibitions. Moreover, the McCord Stewart Museum consumes more energy to heat rather than cool its spaces, with natural gas consumption being much higher in winter and practically non-existent in summer.

“We are really trying to think about how we can be more energy sober,” adds Caroline Truchon.