ABSTRACT
Anticipated use must be considered before deciding on the temperature levels that are to be maintained in a storage area. It is possible to reduce insect activity and disrupt breeding cycles by reducing temperature in storage areas, especially if the temperatures can be well below human comfort range (see also Chapter 41, on biodeterioration). However, human activities in storage areas must be considered. Inventories, tours, cleaning and maintenance, movement of items in and out, curatorial research, and other activities may well occur on a daily or even hourly basis in which case the room must be kept at
a reasonably comfortable temperature. Cold workers may hurry and become careless. Building management systems are increasingly complex and once designed and installed it may be difficult and expensive to change the settings and capacities. The extra costs of cooling in warm climates and vice versa vs the potential for cost savings are also factors to consider.
