The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) recognizes outstanding people, projects, and programs exhibiting innovative and exemplary achievements in sustainable laboratories with its Lab Sustainability Award for Programs or Initiatives. The competition recognizes cutting-edge sustainable laboratory innovation and best practices by leveraging I2SL’s reputation as the leading organization for sustainable, safe, and efficient laboratories. During the 2022 I2SL’s Annual Conference, the MIT Chemistry Undergrad Teaching Lab (UGTL) was awarded the I2SL Lab Sustainability Award.
“The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Chemistry Undergrad Teaching Lab undertook a fume hood hibernation program in that facility that saved a significant amount of energy, and it serves a model for other labs on campus.”2022 I2SL Annual Conference
The project started when team members from the Safe & Sustainable Labs Program, a partnership between the Environment, Health and Safety Office (EHS), the Department of Facilities (DOF), the MIT Office of Sustainability (MITOS), the Office of the Vice President for Finance (VPF), and departments, labs, and centers (DLCs), contacted the UGTL in October 2018. The Department of Chemistry’s state-of-the-art UGTL, which opened on the fifth floor of MIT.nano in fall 2018, is home to 69 fume hoods. Fifty-eight of the 69 fume hoods in the UGTL are consistently unused between the hours of 6:30 p.m. and 12 p.m., as well as all weekend long, totaling 135 hours per week. Based on these numbers, the team determined it was safe to “hibernate” the fume hoods during the off hours, saving the Institute on fan energy and the cost of heating and cooling the air that gets flushed into each hood.
Read more about the UGTL Fume Hood Hibernation Project: Chemistry Undergraduate Teaching Lab hibernates fume hoods, drastically reducing energy costs
Published by Environment, Health and Safety Office on November 8, 2022.
The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) recognizes outstanding people, projects, and programs exhibiting innovative and exemplary achievements in sustainable laboratories with its Lab Sustainability Award for Programs or Initiatives. The competition recognizes cutting-edge sustainable laboratory innovation and best practices by leveraging I2SL’s reputation as the leading organization for sustainable, safe, and efficient laboratories. During the 2022 I2SL’s Annual Conference, the MIT Chemistry Undergrad Teaching Lab (UGTL) was awarded the I2SL Lab Sustainability Award.
“The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Chemistry Undergrad Teaching Lab undertook a fume hood hibernation program in that facility that saved a significant amount of energy, and it serves a model for other labs on campus.”2022 I2SL Annual Conference
The project started when team members from the Safe & Sustainable Labs Program, a partnership between the Environment, Health and Safety Office (EHS), the Department of Facilities (DOF), the MIT Office of Sustainability (MITOS), the Office of the Vice President for Finance (VPF), and departments, labs, and centers (DLCs), contacted the UGTL in October 2018. The Department of Chemistry’s state-of-the-art UGTL, which opened on the fifth floor of MIT.nano in fall 2018, is home to 69 fume hoods. Fifty-eight of the 69 fume hoods in the UGTL are consistently unused between the hours of 6:30 p.m. and 12 p.m., as well as all weekend long, totaling 135 hours per week. Based on these numbers, the team determined it was safe to “hibernate” the fume hoods during the off hours, saving the Institute on fan energy and the cost of heating and cooling the air that gets flushed into each hood.
Read more about the UGTL Fume Hood Hibernation Project: Chemistry Undergraduate Teaching Lab hibernates fume hoods, drastically reducing energy costs
Published by Environment, Health and Safety Office on November 8, 2022.