Designing Laboratories for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

2nd Mar 2009 00:00

Rising costs, new regulations and stakeholder pressures require a marked reduction in the energy and environmental footprint of labs, which are extremely energy and water intensive. Best practice experience shows that better energy efficiency and other environmental benefits are possible without compromising - and indeed enhancing – safety. This involves challenging excessively high rates of air change; over-sizing and poor integration of building services; poor control of cooling, heating and lighting; chilling ambient air rather than directly cooling equipment; and absence of efficiency features such as heat recovery.

This event will distil and disseminate this best practice through presentations by UK and international experts. It is organised by the S-Lab (Safe, Successful, Sustainable Laboratories) initiative of the Higher Education Environmental Performance Improvement project (www.heepi.org.uk), in collaboration with the US Labs21 initiative (www.labs21century.gov). Although targeted at HE, the issues are similar in all laboratories and so external attendees are welcome. Facilities staff, lab managers, and suppliers such as architects, M&E engineers, and project managers should find the event valuable.

The afternoon session will feature Geoffrey Bell, an expert in lab HVAC systems, who has been closely involved with the US Labs21 programme for sustainable laboratories (which HEEPI has adapted for the UK – see www.labs21.org.uk). (NB Geoffrey’s presentation here will cover a variety of topics – he is also giving a more specialised presentation on HVAC at London on 3rd March). There will also be an opportunity to tour one of the University’s new laboratories.