SUSTAINABLE LABORATORIES Key Issues and Current Energy Benchmarks

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SUSTAINABLE LABORATORIESKey Issues and Current
Energy Benchmarks

• Professor Peter James, Co-Director
• Higher Education Environmental Performance
  Improvement ( HEEPI)
• www.heepi.org.uk www.labs21.org.uk

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THE HEEPI PROJECT

• Bottom up, estates finance focused
• Funded by HEFCE
• Steered by key sectoral organisations
• Varied activities- Green Gown Awards- Events (c
  60 and 3000 delegates)- Benchmarking- Guidance
  documents and case studies
• www.heepi.org.uk

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DIRECT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

• Process-related- energy for ventilation- energy
  and water for cooling- materials and waste-
  emissions- noise
• Building-related
• People-related- transport

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INDIRECT ISSUES

• Health and safety- better understanding can
  create greater safety and reduce capital and
  operating costs
• Working conditions- high daylighting,
  sustainable materials, maximum natural
  ventilation etc create more attractive and
  productive environments
• Flexibility- reuse of equipment and space cuts
  waste and avoids the impacts of replacements
• Learning- laboratories create tomorrows
  scientists and technologists, who must understand
  sustainability

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GROWING PRESSURES

• Rising utilities costs
• Tightening regulation- Sticks e.g. Part L/J
  Building Regs- Carrots e.g. Waste Levy
• Government targets- Kyoto Protocol, EU
  commitments, Stern
• Stakeholder expectations
• Growing awareness

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NEW REGULATIONS - 1

• Energy Performance Commitment- above 3000MWh pa
  electricity consumption- map and report its
  fossil fuel and electricity- rewards for
  under-performance- sticks for
  over-performance- based on comparisons with
  benchmarks

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NEW REGULATIONS - 2

• Energy Performance Certificates- all public
  buildings over 3000 m2- display a certificate of
  energy performance- A to F scale (like
  fridges)- are HE labs public buildings?

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04-05 PROVISIONAL BENCHMARKS
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LAB PERFORMANCE- 2006 prices, hypothetical 7000m2
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WHY SO HIGH?

• Hazardous practices/substances requiring high
  ventilation
• Sensitivity of equipment and processes, requiring
  considerable cooling
• High heat outputs from equipment, lighting etc,
  also requiring cooling
• Extended occupancy

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UNECESSARILY HIGH?

• Lack of understanding about key issues amongst
  designers and contractors
• Lack of integration and optimisation of building
  services
• Multiplication of safety margins
• Absence of effective whole-life costing
• Lack of involvement of facilities staff and
  building users in design
• Wrong assumptions acceptance of nameplate
  data limited use profiling

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WHAT CAN BE DONE? - PROCESS

• Process improvements
• Integrated design
• Setting of energy and environmental goals
• Accurate profiling of operation
• Incorporation of user perspectives
• Commissioning as quality control

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WHAT CAN BE DONE? - ARCHITECTURE

• Engineering driven
• Flexible utilities
• Modular equipment
• Energy-based configurations

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WHAT CAN BE DONE? - ENGINEERING

• Determine likely size and variability of loads
• Minimise loads
• Match variable loads and supply through an
  adjustable system
• Right size equipment so that supply capacity
  matches loads

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WHAT CAN BE DONE? - OPERATIONS

• Energy auditing and sub-metering
• Management and monitoring of controls
• Managing fume cupboards
• Better management of supplies
• Energy-efficient appliances lighting
• Reconfiguring space
• Awareness and incentives

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SUSTAINABLE LABS

• Labs21 is a successful US initiative- link
  different communities- providing dissemination,
  training etc
• Labs21.org.uk 3 events autumn 2006
• Green Lab Europe EU project?
• What can they do to help- and how resourced?