Rachel Novick, Ph.D. Office of Sustainability University of Notre Dame green.nd.edu Sustainable Scientists: Integrating Lab Users into Sustainable Laboratory Solutions

Campus laboratories use ~4 times more electricity than comparably sized office buildings.

Resources  Laboratories for the 21 st Century (Department of Energy)  University of California Santa Barbara LabRATS program /  Harvard University Green Labs program

Hypotheses 1.A significant percentage of the electrical load in laboratory buildings is under the control of researchers. 2.Researchers can be motivated to change their behavior to reduce electrical loads. Test Case: 6 Biology Labs & 12 Chemistry Labs

4 Step Program Structure 1.Informational meeting and walk-through  Time commitment for lab representative: ~30 minutes 2.Approval of recommended metering and preventative maintenance  Time commitment for PI & lab representative: ~30 minutes 3.Metering and preventative maintenance  Time commitment for lab representative: 1-3 hours, can be split up over multiple days 4.Summary and recommendations for the future  Time commitment for lab PI & staff: ~30 minutes

Strategy for Achieving Acceptance Validation by Deans and Chairs of the College of Science Presentation at departmental faculty meetings – opportunity for Q&A Invitation to participate comes from department chairs Safety training Stress potential benefits to lab: Free labor Free thermometer exchange Extended equipment life Rebate offers for equipment upgrades

The Walk-Through Major Topics Covered Number of researchers Occupancy hours Safety hazards Lights Thermostats Mercury thermometers Number & size of fume hoods Fume hood practices Computer sleep settings Printer defaults Single stream recycling Battery and toner cartridge recycling Equipment maintenance Freezer defrost schedule Equipment sharing

Appliance Data Information Collected for all Major Appliances Brand & Model Temperature Setting Percent Utilization Frequency of Use Cleaning or defrosting needed Appliance placement Data collected so far include: 32 Ovens 16 Refrigerators 25 Freezers ultra low freezers 22 Refrigerator freezer combos 3 Cold Rooms

Metering

Average Wattage by Appliance Type

Opportunities: Ovens Avg. watts

Opportunities: Ovens

Average Wattage by Appliance Type

Opportunities: Fume Hoods

What We’ve Learned Conservation opportunities for fume hood behavior can be on the order of 10,000 pounds CO 2 e annually per lab. The 20 ovens we metered so far use the equivalent electricity of 5 average U.S. homes. Shared equipment such as cold rooms often fall through the cracks. Researchers are willing to be engaged in an energy audit program – getting them to change their behavior is a lot harder.

What’s Next Demo of efficient oven to be offered as a replacement Mercury thermometer exchange Formalization of lab reps More lab audits