Lab efforts | Energy
Fume Hoods
Vented fume hoods are often the largest energy consumer in the lab. Vented fume hoods constantly remove conditioned air from the lab without the ability to easily turn them off when not needed. This is like heating your home in the winter with the windows and doors open. While fans inside the fume hoods contribute to energy consumption, the loss of conditioned air is usually the largest source of energy consumption.
Vented fume hoods are the most common type in laboratories today and include constant air volume and variable air volume. CU Boulder currently has approximately 300 CAV (constant air volume) and 200 VAV (variable air volume) fume hoods. Ductless fume hoods are a more energy-efficient alternative in select applications; however, CU Boulder has only a handful of ductless fume hoods.
By choosing not to install a fume hood in a lab, the university saves approximately $30,000 in installation costs and an additional $3,000 per year on average in energy costs. This is one example of how departments can help campus achieve its climate action goals by sharing and ensuring optimized use of fume hood resources.
Free Timers
Green Labs provides free timers to automatically shut down lab equipment. Whether your lab needs timers for small equipment or heavy load equipment, CU Green Labs can help. We have simple timers that labs can use with their smaller equipment, such as temperature-controlled water baths and heating blocks. We can provide timers for larger equipment with the help of an electrician! Contact CU Green Labs now for FREE timers! Save energy and minimize your lab's impact on climate change!
Equipment Location
Equipment that consumes a lot of energy will produce and reject heat within a room. It's important to consider where equipment like centrifuges, incubators and ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers are placed. Equipment rooms with insufficient HVAC systems may overload the building's HVAC in trying to compensate for the heat produced by the equipment, increasing the entire building's energy use.
Rooms with localized cooling (such as fan coil units) are ideal for equipment rooms and labs. Hallways, closets and offices typically do not have sufficient cooling and ventilation to support heat-producing equipment.
Equipment Metering
CU Green Labs offers free energy metering to all labs at CU Boulder. Ask us to meter your equipment to compare its energy consumption to similar units and to see if you qualify for a financial incentive to replace your unit with an energy efficient alternative.