Cupboard love

Save money and the environment? It is possible says Richard Eady. Here he tells us why considering your fume cupboards can help you meet environmental targets and bolster the coffers    At the United Nations Paris climate conference (COP21) in December last year, 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal. Due to enter force in 2020, the Paris Agreement set out an international action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

While global warming negotiations continue at national and international levels, universities across the UK have their own stringent emissions targets to meet. Institutions operating laboratories face a particularly steep challenge, as they strive to reduce emissions while complying with tight health and safety legislation, as well as working to limited budgets. The higher education sector has an extremely ambitious goal: the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) set the aim of a reduction in carbon emissions across the sector by 43% by 2020 (against a 2005 baseline). Perhaps because of this target, the higher education sector is leading the way in the development of environmentally sustainable laboratories, demonstrating to the laboratory industry as a whole that by so doing, it is possible to reduce energy consumption at such a rate that the cost incurred by the necessary initial “green” investment will be quickly covered, and long-term financial savings made.

The Green Gown awards recognise exceptional sustainability initiatives undertaken by the higher education sector across the UK and Ireland

Housing both the National Centre for Atmospheric Science and the Walker Institute, the University of Reading is a world-leader in climate research and, as befits an institution with such prestigious environmental credentials, is one of the UK universities to have taken the greatest strides in this field – both winning and achieving shortlist status in several national sustainability awards. Most recently, its Extracting Carbon Savings from our Science Labs project was shortlisted in the facilities and services category of the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) 2016 Green Gown Awards. The project follows a successful pilot, which was shortlisted for the carbon reduction category of the 2014 Green Gown awards, and won the 2014 Sustainability Leaders Awards energy efficiency category.

The Green Gown awards recognise exceptional sustainability initiatives undertaken by the higher education sector across the UK and Ireland. The judging panel includes representatives from what was the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the United Nations Environment Programme, WWF (formerly World Wildlife Fund) and Universities UK. The Extracting Carbon Savings from our Science Labs project involved an estate-wide upgrade of science laboratory fume cupboard ventilation, delivered for £768,000, and generating predicted annual savings of 694 tCO2 and £223,958. These savings follow those achieved by the £250,000 2014 pilot – which focused on the upgrade of 44 fume cupboards – amounting to 343 tCO2 and £91,683; it paid for itself in less than three years. Part of the new project saw CSW Technical upgrade fume cupboards from constant air volume (CAV) to variable air volume (VAV) systems across 22 laboratories in three buildings. The company commissioned electronic airflow control and monitor manufacturer and consultant, Temperature Electronics Ltd (TEL) to supply AFA1000 VAV controllers for installation in 68 units. The new system was commissioned in June 2016. The controllers automatically adjust airflow according to need, decreasing the volume of air extracted when the fume cupboard sashes are closed, maintaining a constant face velocity and therefore minimising energy consumption. Under this system, a fixed volume of air had been continuously extracted and replaced, even when cupboard sashes were closed.

The University of Glasgow is striving to help Scotland meet the Scottish government’s climate change target of a 42% reduction in national greenhouse gas emissions by 2020

Dan Fernbank, the University of Reading’s energy manager, said: “To date, legal requirements around fume cupboards have focused on the safe containment of hazardous substances. This can lead to energy wastage if solutions do not also consider how to meet their requirements efficiently. This project has addressed a large legacy of systems designed solely to focus on containment, without also considering energy impacts. Our new fume cupboard system has had a major impact in reducing our carbon emissions – not to mention costs – supporting our drive to deliver sustainable operations complementing our world-leading climate research.” In its entirety, the University of Reading’s Extracting Carbon Savings from our Science Labs project also included: replacing 98 extract fans with high efficiency equivalents; re-ducting 49 chemical storage cupboards to reduce ventilation speeds and enable the attached fume cupboards to be switched off when not in use; installing passive infrared (PIR) sensors on fume cupboards, with associated alarms reminding users to close the sashes when the cupboards were not in use.

The University of Reading is not alone in its work to make its laboratories more sustainable. Last year, the University of Glasgow’s laboratory refurbishment project won the refurbished laboratory category of the S-Lab 2015 Award. The award recognises excellence in the design, operation and management of laboratories that has resulted in improved performance and enhanced sustainability and safety. The University of Glasgow’s project involved the consolidation of its medicinal chemistry and chemical biology laboratories into a single 500m2 open plan laboratory in the Grade A listed Joseph Black building. The new laboratory was created to facilitate collaboration between staff, while minimising energy and water use. The University of Glasgow is striving to help Scotland meet the Scottish government’s climate change target of a 42% reduction in national greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Laboratory Specialist Services Ltd installed a VAV fume cupboard system, incorporating TEL’s AFA1000/E digital airflow controllers and auto sash controllers. The controllers regulate airflow according to need, while the auto sash controllers automatically close the fume cupboards when not in use. It is projected that the new system will use 270MWh less of energy and generate £34,000 less in associated energy costs per year than would a conventional CAV solution.

Laboratories operating outside the field of higher education may not be bound by the same stringent sectoral emissions targets, but many have their own sustainability goals to reach. Whatever the industry, we should all be working towards the ultimate fulfillment of the Paris Agreement, and the experience of universities such as Reading and Glasgow demonstrates that by so doing, there are economic benefits to be gained.

Richard Eady is Director of TEL