Honoring the Earth: How the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum Powered Its Future With Clean Energy
- Clean Energy NH
- 18 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Written by Andrew Bullock, Executive Director at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum
At the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (MKIM) in Warner, NH, everything we do is rooted in a deep respect for the natural world. For more than 35 years, our museum has invited visitors to explore 20,000 years of ongoing Native expression — from breathtaking beadwork and baskets to wooded trails and a living arboretum. Central to Native American philosophy is the concept of “treading lightly on the Earth,” a principle that has guided indigenous peoples across generations. That same principle guided us through one of the most ambitious undertakings in our museum’s history: a comprehensive clean energy transformation that is now complete — and has exceeded our hopes.
A Four-Part Project Built for the Future
Our $302,000 energy project was a carefully planned, four-component effort designed to move MKIM toward energy self-sufficiency and long-term financial resilience.
1. A Professional Energy Audit.
We partnered with SEEDS, a professional energy auditing firm, to conduct a thorough Level II Energy Audit of our facility, funded in part by a grant from the Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA). The audit gave us a complete picture of our energy use through thermographic imaging, heat load calculations, and a detailed cost-benefit analysis — serving as the master planning document for everything that followed.
2. Energy Efficiency Improvements.
Based on the audit’s findings, we implemented targeted efficiency measures — tightening the building envelope and improving insulation to maximize the performance of our new systems.
3. A 51 kW Solar Array. Our museum building has a large, completely unobstructed south-facing roof — an ideal canvas for solar. We installed a 120-panel, 51 kW photovoltaic system that now generates approximately 60,000 kWh (60 megawatt-hours) of electricity per year, far exceeding our annual consumption of about 40,000 kWh (which now includes electric heating). On a typical sunny day, we produce more than 300 kWh — and we were even treated to a front-row seat during the April 2024 solar eclipse, when our production monitor showed output drop to nearly zero as the moon’s shadow passed over Warner!
4. Replacing Oil Furnaces with Air-Source Heat Pumps.
Our 30-year-old oil furnaces have been replaced with commercial air-source heat pumps powered by our solar electricity. We originally kept our old oil furnaces in case we needed backup on the coldest New Hampshire days, but the heat pumps have easily kept up with our heating needs.
The Results: Better Than We Imagined
Two years in, the project is delivering on every front — and then some. We have generated 60 megawatt-hours of clean electricity in each of the past two years and have virtually eliminated our utility bills. The reduction in energy costs we projected has become a reality, freeing up an estimated $22,000 annually that can now go directly toward programming, exhibits, and the continued growth of this institution.
But the benefit we didn’t fully anticipate — and one that genuinely delights us — is what reliable, affordable heating has done for our calendar. In the past, the cost of heating the museum through a New Hampshire winter forced us to close our doors every November and remain shuttered until early May. This year, for the first time, we are open two days a week all winter long. That means our community, our local visitors, and travelers who find us in the off-season can now experience Native American history, art, and culture year-round. For a museum whose mission is to keep these living traditions visible and accessible, that is an extraordinary development.
On the environmental side, the project eliminates an estimated 55,000 pounds of CO₂ from our annual footprint — a meaningful contribution from a small institution with a big sense of responsibility to future generations.
A Community Effort, and a Community Thank-You
A project of this scale doesn’t happen without a village. The $302,000 total was made possible through an extraordinary coalition of support: a leadership donation from Elizabeth Janeway; grants from the Community Development Finance Authority, the Mascoma Foundation, and two grants from donors through the NH Charitable Foundation; a business tax credit made possible by the federal Inflation Reduction Act; an incentive from Eversource; and the generosity of many individual donors. We are deeply grateful to every person and organization who helped make this happen.
The project also gave us a new story to tell our visitors. We’re connecting the dots between traditional Native wisdom about living in harmony with the earth and the very real, very practical tools available to all of us today.
New Hampshire does not have a federally recognized Native tribe or a reservation, making MKIM one of the only places in our state where residents can connect with living Native American culture. We are proud to be a greener, more financially resilient, and more welcoming institution — open to our community even in the heart of winter. If you’d like to visit, support our work, or simply learn more, we hope to see you soon.
About the Author
Bullock has a 35-year association with MKIM, having been instrumental in the formation of the
collection, as well as serving as a founding member of the Board of Trustees. Director Bullock received his BA in Native Studies from Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, and has served as Executive Director at MKIM since 2018.
About the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum
The Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum is an educational and cultural center in Warner, NH, connecting visitors with 20,000 years of ongoing Native American expression through artifacts, exhibits, programming, and a 12-acre campus. Founded in 1990, MKIM welcomes over 8,000 visitors annually, including 2,000 schoolchildren from across New Hampshire. Now open year-round, the museum invites all to explore the rich, living heritage of Native peoples. Learn more at www.indianmuseum.org.