The memo outlines potential cost-saving measures for a museum by reducing waste and inefficiencies. It suggests turning lights off when rooms are unoccupied to save 13.4% on lighting costs. Heating savings of 5% are also possible by ensuring boilers are properly maintained. Managers are asked to propose 5 additional methods of cutting costs through waste reduction by the first of February.

1. Cost Saving in the Museum and its Ancillaries
Memo
To all managers
Marc Haynes MD
Intro
The first part of any cost cutting exercise should be cutting out all waste, wasteful practices,
wasteful buying and wasteful disposal.
Examine where you can cut waste most effectively, the obvious places first, heating,
lighting, stationary, cleaning, recycling are all good places to start.
Get your staff on side but don’t panic them, remember there is an ecological side to this
too. Sometimes even your lowliest workers come up with some cracking savings that others
miss.
Museum Waste Saving
1) Electricity
For instance to save power in the museum, as from Monday morning we will open the
museum at around 9.00 as usual but will not turn on the lights until we open to the public
at 10.00. We will turn off the museum lights as soon as the last customer has left.
This means a saving of 14.3% in the winter and 12.5% in the summer (pro rata).
A mean saving of 13.4%. Lighting budget for 2013/4 is £30,000.00
13.4% of 30,000 = £4,020 a substantial saving!!!
2) This saving can be achieved in store rooms, library, kitchens etc indeed whenever a room
is unoccupied for more than 10 minutes.
3) More lighting savings can be made by specifying LED or High Frequency Fluorescent
lamps where practical.

2. 4) Heating
In the museum we can ensure that all boilers are working correctly and to the correct
settings. If this is deemed to be incorrect then the action taken must always be by a
qualified technician. All museum boilers are now ‘state of the art’ and at the peak of
possible efficiency. This does not mean we should not be vigilant regarding their efficiency.
Cost of heating the museum £25,000.00.
An efficiency saving of 5% equals £1250.00 more saving.
5) Consider reducing opening hours even further. (needs timing survey on reception)
Well there is my five now over to you.
Your Input
I would like to see all managers come up with 5 methods of cutting
costs by reducing waste by Friday the first of February.
Your evidence of waste saving will be part of regular management
meetings.
Please bear in mind that waste management is part of efficient management. Invariably
some departments will find easier ways to manage waste than others. Please don’t put this
on the back burner as low relevance. It should be treated as an important part of your
management strategy.
If you wish to discuss this I am free at any time.
Mike Penn
19/1/2013
Remember Eliminate, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Dispose.