Operation

In 2022, the Operations Department dealt with the implementation of new software in addition to routine maintenance activities.

The operation of the Museum Complex of the National Museum, i.e. the Historic and New Buildings of the National Museum, and the requirements for the operability of the equipment in these premises have become so complex that we could no longer do without complex software.

The MySmartplace system (hereinafter referred to as the “MSP”) is software for checking “orders”, in our case “tasks”. The software offers a clear form of supervision over the administration and operation of any building. For the Historic Building, the tasks are partly defined in the Work Maintenance Manual and Operating Rules by Metrostav, the renovation contractor and its subcontractors. It defines any scheduled inspections and maintenance within the facility. Another category is the regular revisions required by law. These are also tasks resulting from the building operation and various repairs. We handle and monitor service provision in the Helpdesk system.

In 2022, we started implementing data into the MSP. The advantage of the system is the control of all regular operations connected with the operation of the National Museum buildings, as well as a very quick supervision of staff work performance. The system offers a comprehensive view of building management, in the past, present and future.

One of the most important benefits of the system is the achievement of substitutability in the National Museum buildings.

In 2022, we focused mainly on optimizing the system before its official launch. It was necessary to plan the division of work areas and actions and prepare them in the form in which they will be implemented. For the Historic Building alone, 99 items of regular building maintenance and 102 items of gradual maintenance were entered into the system in 2022.

There are a number of places in the buildings of the National Museum that must be inspected regularly by technical services. They are not listed in the maintenance books, and yet they must not be neglected. The technicians and maintenance personnel of the National Museum must be in control of the entire building.

These places are hidden from visitors and regular employees and few people know about them. They are accessible only to trained employees of the technical department, who check the condition of the walls to make sure there is no water leakage, no damage to the electrical installation or air conditioning distribution. Depending on the location of the inspection, technicians must meet all health and safety requirements – they must be properly insured, trained to work at heights, or must have a certificate of professional competence in electrical engineering.

Due to the complex situation in energy markets and the related significant increase in commodity prices, the National Museum has taken a number of measures to achieve energy savings. In accordance with Government Regulation 361/2007, as amended, measures were introduced to reduce the temperatures of heated office spaces, professional workplaces and visitor rooms to 18-19°C, corridors and washrooms to 16°C, etc. In buildings with electric DHW heating output temperature regulation and, in some cases, a reduction in the number of storage units were carried out. For selected buildings, operations were significantly restricted in the winter months while preserving the thermal stability of the buildings, for example in the National Monument in Vítkov, the Museum of Czech Puppets and the Circus in Prachatice, and the permanent exposition in the Musaion building. The optimization of technological processes was implemented while maintaining technical and climatic requirements, especially for collection items. In the individual buildings, the number of lighting fixtures was reduced, while maintaining the required lighting intensity, including time adjustments of the periods of lighting. Old, inefficient lighting fixtures are continuously replaced with new, energy-efficient ones.

After the application of these measures, energy consumption was regularly monitored and evaluated. The resulting data clearly demonstrated that the implemented measures have been effective. After the implementation of the above-mentioned steps in 2022, depending on the specific building, the average electricity savings for the given period ranged from 16-30% for buildings with standard operation and 20-44% for buildings with limited operation compared to the same period in 2021. For buildings with natural gas consumption, average savings were reported for the given period in the range of 19-24%. For properties with district heating and cooling, savings ranged from 27-34% for heating and 11-39% for cooling compared to the same period in 2021.

The above measures remain in place in 2023. At the same time, studies focused on the possibilities of using renewable sources, such as solar photovoltaic panels, are underway. These studies are also focused on the possibilities of improving the thermal performance of buildings, the use of new, more efficient technologies, sources of thermal energy, air-conditioning equipment, etc.