-70 is the new -80, but really -70 was here before

Senior technicians at our lab still remember the time when Ultra Low Temperature (ULT) freezers were set at -70 ºC. As manufacturers made more sophisticated freezers, reaching -80 ºC was marketed as a sign of progress. However, samples were safe at -70 ºC, and still are today.

A ULT freezer consumes at least as much energy as whole average household. Setting the temperature of your ULT freezer back to -70 ºC can save up to 30% energy. Others have done it and have shared their experiences and data on sample stability. And in case you are wondering about sudden freezer failure… one at -70 ºC will only thaw 20 minutes faster than one at -80 ºC. A pretty small difference against years of energy savings and safe samples.

In this page you’ll find the information and testimonials gathered by Teun Bousema (Radboudumc, Nijmegen) in collaboration with colleagues and international fellow researchers. Take three minutes to watch the video about the gains!