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Market Assessment of Energy Efficiency Opportunities in Laboratories
\nIf you’ve been reading this blog, you know that we like to share reports about the impact of sustainability and energy efficiency on the research community. The Market Assessment of Energy Efficiency Opportunities in Laboratories is one such study by the Emerging Technologies Coordinating Council. Prepared by Allison Paradise of My Green Lab, as part of the Center for Energy Efficient Laboratories (CEEL), this revealing report resulted from a collaborative sponsorship of Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric.
Market Assessment of Energy Efficiency Opportunities in Laboratories
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The purpose of this study was to:
Representing the largest, most comprehensive investigation of its kind in the California laboratory research market, the results of this study support the creation of energy efficiency programs specifically targeting laboratory equipment. Not only does this study clearly show that there are tremendous potential energy savings for laboratories, but it also points to several independent efforts by the EPA and individual organizations to identify, and whenever possible incentivize, energy efficient equipment and operations.
Among the many survey results, there were a number of key data points relating to the use of ultra-low freezers that I found interesting for obvious reasons. One noteworthy finding suggests that there is up to 648 million KWh of electricity being used per year to power -80° C freezers in the state of California, alone!
\nNow consider this . . . Last year, it was reported by the U.S. DOE-sponsored, Better Buildings Alliance independent study that the Stirling Ultracold SU780UE ULT freezer used 66% less energy than the average cascade-compressor model ULT. Considering that today’s commercial electric rates are $0.138/KWh in the state of California (per the U.S. Energy Information website), it can be calculated from this recent study that California labs could potentially save up to $59,019,840 per year in energy cost, by simply replacing cascade ULT freezers with Stirling models. Below is a breakdown of the math:
648,000,000 kWh CA Freezer Annual Energy Use (max.)
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$0.138/KWh Avg. CA Commercial Electric Rate
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66% Energy Reduction (SU780UE vs. avg. cascade ULT freezer)
$59,019,840/Year Potential Energy Cost Savings in California
While that’s a lot of energy and cost savings from just one state, this doesn’t even account for the facility HVAC energy cost savings that labs will achieve, as Stirling freezers also reject less than half the heat of cascade ultra-low freezers (see our blog post, The Hidden Benefit of Energy-Efficient ULT Freezers). And of course, let’s not forget the potential sustainability impact that transcends monetary benefits.
At Stirling Ultracold, we salute the excellent work that My Green Lab is doing with utilities and we look forward to the long-term impact that this study will have on the research community in California and beyond!
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