Soldiers of Shropshire Museum wins battle to upgrade energy award

A drive led by museum director Richard Gough has seen the grading rise from a D to a B – the highest rating the Grade I listed building is likely to achieve.

The upgrade has been achieved by fitting LED lighting to the displays, and better management of the Shropshire Council-owned castle’s heating timers and thermostats.

The improvements were made possible through partnership working with West Midlands Museum Development, and Pilio Energy Management who carried out an energy audit.

Richard said: “The audit showed us that by installing LED lighting in our display areas we would immediately achieve energy savings of more than a quarter of our total, and that nstantly inspired me to see how much further we could go.

“Shrewsbury Castle is a Grade I listed building so we have to be respectful of that, and while it may seem like it’s an impossible task to work within those constraints, its construction has actually helped us.

“We have adjusted the thermostats and timings for our heating and, because the Castle’s walls are so thick, they provide sufficient insulation to keep us all warm. We are switching the heating off two and a half hours earlier, at 2.30pm, and the retained heat is enough, and we see a drop in the number of energy units used.

“Also, because of the way our artefacts are displayed in sealed glass units, there isn’t any issue in controlling humidity.”

Richard added the work to install LED lighting, which was funded by the Friends of the Museum and Shropshire Council, became part of the attraction for visitors to the museum.

He said: “At first we were pushing our contractors to do the work outside of opening hours, but it evolved into working around our visitors and, by the end of the work, our contractors RMW Electricals were as engaged as us in our exhibits and able to talk to people about the work and how it would benefit the museum. They were brilliant throughout.”

Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for climate change, environment and transport, said: “It would be all too easy to dismiss any effort to be more sustainable or energy efficient in such an historic building as the Castle, but drive and determination has seen a huge improvement in its energy rating.

“Everyone can play their part in helping our county become more energy efficient and achieving our goal of reaching net zero by 2030. Simple steps such as using energy- efficient lighting and reducing the amount of time the heating is on soon adds up, just as the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum team has demonstrated.”