Energy – Green Labs

• Encourage users to lower the sash on fume hoods and reduce pressure on the ventilation

• Turn up your Ultra low Temperature freezer from -80 to -70, see references and details below

• Promote good practice of turning off equipment or lights at the end of the day

Fume Hoods

Fume hoods are one of the most energy intensive pieces of equipment in the lab due to their draw on ventilation systems and have been calculated to consume up to 3.5 x the energy consumption of an average household. By lowering the sash of the fume hood when not in direct use, this greatly reduces the pressure on ventilation systems and the amount of air being drawn into and out of the building.

Background info

•’ Validating cost and energy savings from Harvard’s Shut The Sash Program‘- Harvard University

• ‘Fume Hood Energy Converstaion’ – Standford University

• Frontiers in Built environment – Changing Behavior Through Design: A Lab Fume Hood Closure Experiment

Stickers & Posters

• Sticker and poster templates from Bristol and Edinburgh university

• Below the red zone – Harvard University sticker template

• Shut the Sash template – Harvard University sticker template

Cold Storage

Cold storage is found in abundance in lab spaces and added up consumes large amounts of energy. By creating good practices around your cold storage such as, regular cleaning and maintenance, accessibility inventories and optimal usage protocols you can ensure your cold storage is used efficiently. An -80 ultra low temperature freezer turned up to -70 can save nearly 30% on energy consumption.

Background info

• ‘Efficient ULT freezer storage’ – Edinburgh University

• ‘Ultra-Low Temperature Freezer Performance and Energy Use Tests’ – UCR Office of Sustainability

• ‘Minus 70 is the new 80’– Radboud University

• ‘Twenty year stability study of HIV, HBV adn HCV Antibodies, antigens and nucleic acides in plasma’ – Seracare Life sciences poster

• ‘Stability of Genomic DNA at various storage conditions’ – Seracare Life sciences poster

• -70 long term storage database

• -70 is the new -80 – My Green Lab

• Freezer challenge resources

• The demand for ultracold storage has soared and with it, the need for sustainability best practices – Nature

• Chilling up Freezers – Lab conscious

Best practice guides

• ‘Ultra Low Freezer Management Guide’ – Cambridge University

• ‘Freezers Best Practice’ – Edinburgh University

• ‘Ultra-Low Temperature (ULT) Freezer Maintenance Quick Reference Guide’ – Bristol University

• ‘Sustainability and Good practice of Ultra Low Temperature (ULT) freezers’ – Birmingham University

• My Green Lab freezer challenge

• How to defrost your freezer – Lab Manager

• Cold storage audit template – Bristol University

Other equipment

By creating clear signage and reminders for lab equipment and lights, you can remind colleagues to turn off equipment where possible, saving energy as you go.