Energy
The average university laboratory consumes over 4 to 10 times more energy than other academic spaces. This eyewatering fact makes sense when you consider that a single ultra-low temperature freezer maintained at -80˚C uses the same amount of energy as a house! The energy intensive demands of lab equipment provide numerous opportunities to improve energy efficiency in the lab.
Energy efficiency
Effective target areas to reduce lab energy use include:
Turning off (PCs, lights) and lab equipment when not in use: Having signage to show what can and cannot be switched off is very helpful for lab users. Focus on turning off energy intensive equipment such as fume hoods and drying cabinets! IMPORTANT NOTE: Check with the lab manager that it is safe to do so before turning off any fume hoods!
Purchasing of energy efficient equipment: Look for EU Energy Label, Energy Star and ACT Label certified models.
Using plug timers: Automatically switching equipment such as drying cabinets on/off as and when you need them, saves a large amount of energy.
Following best practice cold storage management: Raise temperature setpoints to -70˚C as default, use contents maps to reduce time spent searching for samples with the door open, regularly defrost units, dust condenser coils and filters, don’t store items on top of freezers, use full racking in ULT freezers or fill any gaps with freezer blocks/polystyrene boxes, regularly check for obsolete items and consolidate your samples to reduce the number of cold storage units in the lab.
Lowering the sash on VAV fume hoods: This can significantly reduce the hood's energy consumption by more than 40%!
Use ductless fume hoods when possible: This reduces the amount of make-up air required in the lab due to air being vented outside. Make-up air has to be heated/cooled to room temperature by the building's HVAC system, which uses yet more energy.
Reduce the face velocity of your fume hoods to the lowest safe value: ≈ 0.5m/s for most chemicals but check exactly what is used in the hood before asking the service engineer to change anything! IMPORTANT NOTE: Face velocity that is too high can cause air turbulence, which is inefficient and can lead to high energy costs but a face velocity that is too low can allow chemical fumes to escape into the lab.
Don’t use a 4˚C hold on PCR plate readers: If your PCR sample isn’t being used for sensitive downstream applications, a 4°C hold isn’t necessary! If it is, plan your work so you're there to take it out and put it in the fridge.
Knowledge is power
Informing lab users how and where most energy is consumed in the lab can empower them to reduce wastage and inefficiencies with little effort on their part; simply switching off unused equipment such as biosafety cabinets and lowering the fume hood sash can create large energy savings if your lab has Variable Air Volume (VAV) fume hoods.
The table below shows the high energy consumption levels for some common lab equipment (Stefanie Reiss, Oxford Uni, Sep 2020):
| Lab Equipment |
Typical Energy Consumption: Equivalent no. of Households (actual consumption depends on size, age & condition of equipment) |
|---|---|
| Drying Cabinets | 0.5 - 3  |
| Ultra-Low Temperature Freezers | 1 - 3.5  |
| Fume Hoods | 2 - 5  |
