Creating a robust dataset for benchmarking the cultural building sector

Back to 2015 Symposium Overview

Session 13 Paper 1, University College London, 16-17 April 2015

The dataset used for cultural sector specific benchmarking, which were first introduced at the CIBSE Symposium 2012, has been greatly expanded by the inclusion of Arts Council England funded organisations that are required to report annually energy and water use. New data indicates that benchmarks using the median for Performing Arts buildings classified by CIBSE as Entertainment Halls is 101 kWh/m2/yr for electricity and 139 kWh/m2/year for gas and for Museums and

Gallery buildings classified as Cultural Activities is 86 kWh/m2/year for electricity and 132 kWh/m2/year for gas. These are generally lower than the existing published national benchmarks with the exception of the electricity within Cultural Activities. The size and quality of the dataset presents an opportunity for co-display with the government’s Display Energy Certificate as well as updating of the national standard benchmarks for the cultural sector.