50% of the ULT Freezers at CU Boulder are set at -70 ⁰C

Half of the ultra low temperature (ULT) freezers on the CU Boulder campus are at -70 ⁰C (~75 of ~150 freezers). In 2010, there were probably only 5 at -70 ⁰C.  The CU Green Labs Program is very proud of this, and we hope to continue to encourage laboratories to switch their freezers to -70 ⁰C where it makes sense for their samples. This progress has been encouraged by the fact that we had a number of campus scientists that were already setting their ULT freezers to -70 ⁰C and had been for a very long time, before CU Green Labs even started. Knowing that colleagues had been successful storing samples at that temperature probably helped to convince some labs to change. Check out the labs and departments taking conservation actions with their ULT freezers!

Join your colleagues by exploring whether -70 ⁰C is appropriate for your samples too!

What kinds of samples can safely be stored at -70 ⁰C?

Scientists at CU Boulder, UC Davis, and several other campuses have contributed to a database of cold sample storage practices to demonstrate sample types that are being stored at -70 ⁰C. Please note that this database is not science-based data on appropriate temperatures for samples, though these temperatures have been successful for various labs for years. 

Cold Sample Storage Practices Database

Did you know that before any ULT freezers could be manufactured to reach -80 ⁰C, ULT freezers were only able to reach -70 ⁰C?  To best of our knowledge, the switch from -70 ⁰C to -80 ⁰C was a result of marketing by manufacturers to sell ULT freezers rather than a demonstrated scientific need for -80 ⁰C for samples stored in ULT freezers.

At the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) conference in September 2013, a presentation by the CDC included the fact that they raised 60 of their ULT freezers to -70 ⁰C from -80 ⁰C on one of their campuses as part of the freezer challenge. Click here for a link to the CDC's I2SL abstract. 

The University of Edinburgh in the UK is currently conducting a study to scientifically address the question of what temperatures are most appropriate for certain sample types. They hope to store their samples at either -60 ⁰C, -70 ⁰C, or -80 ⁰C for a minimum of five years and then test their viability. This is an exciting study, and we look forward to learning about the results in a few years!

Additional Resources on Sample Storage Temperatures

What are benefits of raising your ULT freezer temp from -80 ⁰C to -70 ⁰C?

  • Extend the life of your ULT freezer! Increasing the temperature of your freezer means the compressor does not have to work as hard. Since the compressor is working less, there is reduced risk for compressor failure.
  • Energy savings! Based on metering data from ULT freezers at two temperatures, it is easy to see the energy saving impact of raising your unit’s temperature to -70 ⁰C.
    • 21.8 kWh/day (at -83 ⁰C) to 14.6 kWh/day (at -70 ⁰C) on a very old upright Forma Scientific Bio Freezer, Mod. 8326 for a total of 7.2 kWh/day saved.
    • 12.2 kWh/day (at -80 ⁰C) to 9.2 kWh/day (at -70 ⁰C) on an more energy efficient upright New Brunswick Eppendorf HEF U570 Freezer for a total of 3 kWh/day saved.
    • 16.1 kWh/day (at -80 ⁰C) to 14.1 kWh/day (-70 ⁰C) on a chest freezer VWR Model #5459 (Thermo Forma) for a total of 2 kWh/day saved.

Additional Resources for Energy Savings at -70 ⁰C

Other -70⁰C Resources from CU Green Labs

Presentation given at I2SL by CU Green Labs: Convincing Scientists at CU Boulder to switch from -80⁰C to -70⁰C

Title slide of presentation for I2SL conference 

 

Chilled Up Freezer Sticker

Sticker indicating that a particular ULT freezer is at -70 celsius instead of -80

Contact CU Green Labs