Shut your hood! Monitoring Fume Hood Sashes and Providing Feedback on Behavior to Benefit Energy Conservation

Ashlyn Norberg, University of Colorado Boulder

The CU Green Labs team at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) has been working with variable air volume (VAV) fume hood users to improve sash behavior to decrease the energy footprint of fume hoods and improve upon safety factors while the hoods are in use. We have been periodically visiting fume hoods to gather data on how far the hood sashes and panels are open while the hoods are both in use and not in use and have shared this information with the lab users to encourage good behavior. This presentation will describe how the sash program began, signage that we use on the fume hoods, how the program is currently running, challenges we have faced, and achievements we have accomplished since the start of the program.

Learning Objectives

  • Learn about how we monitor VAV fume hood sashes at CU-Boulder and the signage involved.
  • Learn what we are doing to provide feedback to labs about their sash behavior.
  • See the data connected with our sash efforts since the start of the program and learn what challenges we have faced and successes we have achieved.

Biography:

Ashlyn is currently a fifth year undergraduate student at the University of Colorado-Boulder studying Environmental Engineering. She has been working with Kathy Ramirez-Aguilar and the CU Green Labs program for four years on reducing energy consumption, solid waste production, and water use in the research labs on campus. As one of the first staff members, she has been instrumental in helping to build the program, engaging lab members, and keeping the operation of the program going.

 

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