Large Equipment
Laboratories are known to consume massive amounts of energy. Large lab equipment, often continuously powered on, is the major contributor to laboratory energy consumption. When compared to office buildings, labs use ten times as much energy, and labs with large, specialized equipment can consume up to one hundred times the energy per square foot. Large lab equipment can make up more than 50% of total plugin energy consumption of a campus and 70% of the energy consumption of individual research buildings. The chart below, taken from the article “Quantity and electricity consumption of plug load equipment” by Moira Hafer, shows the breakdown of energy use by equipment type.1
While it may seem impossible to reduce the energy consumption of large laboratory equipment, which many labs have in operation 24 hours a day 7 days a week, there are many steps a lab can take to reduce the carbon footprint of these large instruments. To begin, laboratories can install energy monitoring systems. This will give the lab a more specific view of their energy usage and allow them to tailor an energy reduction plan specific to their lab. Once an energy management system has been developed simply turning off or installing timers on the equipment to shut them off during non-peak hours can be a valuable first step. Like the “Shut the Sash” campaign currently in place at CSU, “shut off” stickers could be provided to labs to place on equipment that does not need to be always on. In many labs turning off equipment is not an option, so creating incentives for labs to purchase more energy efficient large equipment is important for promoting sustainable practices in labs. Once new equipment has been purchased, a database could be created, giving labs a resource for purchasing more efficient lab equipment and the opportunity to share it, thus greatly reducing the environmental impact. One such incentive that is already in place at CSU is the ULT freezer incentive program, which assists labs in purchasing more efficient ultra-low temperature freezers. The addition of database of energy efficient equipment around campus would help laboratories around campus to make energy conscious purchases as well as encourage collaboration with sustainability in mind.
Author: John Patterson
References:
- Hafer, M. Quantity and electricity consumption of plug load equipment on a university campus. Energy Efficiency 10, 1013–1039 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12053-016-9503-2