Shared Ultra-Low Temperature Freezer Program

The Shared ULT Freezer Program aims to establish efficiently used, shared ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers around the CU Boulder campus. Scientists can rent space in a ULT freezer instead of purchasing an entire freezer for their lab. Developing a model where different labs share ULT freezers promotes equipment sharing on our campus, reduces laboratory plug loads, encourages more efficient use of freezer space and contributes to the sustainability culture of the CU Boulder campus. 

CU Green Labs wishes to encourage a culture of shared lab equipment on our campus, not just for the costly, specialized equipment but also for more general items such as incubators, centrifuges and freezers. The fees collected from using our shared ULT freezers may go toward repairing or replacing them at their end of life. Overall, the purpose of our program is to save research dollars, save researcher time and minimize the environmental footprint of research taking place at CU Boulder. Sustainable CU, Facilities Management and the College of Arts and Sciences provided funding to purchase four shared ULT freezers for the campus.

Freezer challenge

Does your lab have refrigerators, freezers or cold rooms for sample storage? If so, join the International Laboratory Freezer Challenge! Compete with labs to improve sample accessibility and integrity, reduce costs and improve energy efficiency for cold storage in your lab!

Getting Started

To rent space in one of our shared ultra-low temperature freezers, contact greenlabs@colorado.edu. Please include any questions. If you have already decided to try our program, please include the following information in your email. 

  1. The location of the Green Labs freezer you would like to rent.
  2. The approximate amount of freezer space your lab currently needs and what dimension of space you're looking to rent (freezer boxes or bulkier items).

Look below for freezer rates and other information.

 

Freezer Locations 

  • 3rd Floor of the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building (JSCBB).
  • 3rd Floor of Ramaley.
  • Wilderness Place.
  • 2nd floor of Porter Biosciences.
  • ECES Wing of the Engineering Center
  • Write us to suggest where the next shared ULT freezer should go when we have funding.

Rates

Rates have been approved by the University of Colorado Boulder Controller's Office and are applicable for all freezers in our program.

  • $0.25/month/2" tall freezer box.
  • $0.37/month/3" tall freezer box.
  • $0.20/month/liter volume of space for bulkier items.

Expectations and Inventory Requirements

  • Freezer space is for rent per box or at a bulk price for oddly shaped items. Labs will be charged a monthly rate based on the inventory of boxes.
  • CU Green Labs will assign space to use within the freezer.  It is critical that CU Green Labs knows which freezer boxes or items belong to each laboratory sharing space in the ULT freezer. 
  • Please inform CU Green Labs when you need more or less space in the freezer.  
  • Freezer space will be rented out based on actual, current laboratory needs.
  • Labs will be required to physically label their freezer boxes in shared freezers with the Rack Letter + Box Number + Lab Name.

Freezer Monitoring and Alarm Systems

Monitors from Insight connect to freezers in the shared ULT freezer program. Labs that share the ULT freezers must provide at least two people to contact in case a shared freezer’s alarm goes off. The contact people must be available 24/7 to respond to critical temperature issues. Lab members can decide how to handle critical research samples if a shared freezer fails.

Decontamination Procedures and Risk Statement

Each CU Green Labs shared ULT freezer has a temperature monitoring system that will send out notifications if the freezer fails. If samples thaw and leak out of their primary containers, the lab renting the space is responsible for the freezer cleanup and decontamination. CU Green Labs is not responsible for sample loss, theft, damage, etc. CU Green Labs will not replace the items or refund their value. Storing items in a shared ULT freezer is at your own risk. The purpose of the Shared ULT Freezer Program is to save research funds and time and minimize the environmental footprint of research taking place at CU Boulder. CU Green Labs will be responsible for the final decontamination at the freezer's end of life.

Inventorying

Labs using the Green Labs shared ULT freezers will be asked to keep an inventory of their freezer contents and will be encouraged to develop an inventory down to the sample level. Periodically CU Green Labs will conduct inventories of the freezers at the box level. 

Invoicing

Each lab using a shared ULT freezer will be charged a monthly fee. An invoice will be generated every three months by the UMC Business Office for the prior three months of space rented. The speedtype your lab has provided to Green Labs will be charged upon generation of the invoice. If you need to dispute any charges, please do so within the same fiscal year as the invoice. Green Labs may increase or decrease the frequency of invoicing due to the needs of the program. 

Freezers and Temperature Set-Point

CU Green Labs purchases energy-efficient ULT freezers and sets them at -70 ⁰C. The Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building and Wilderness Place have PHCBI VIP Eco-Series ULT freezers purchased in 2023. Ramaley Biology has Stirling Ultracold SU780UE freezers purchased in 2016. And Porter has a PHCbi unit purchased in 2021.