Achieving the "Laboratory Triple Bottom Line" of Research Success, User Safety, and Sustainability at University of California, Santa Barbara: Behavior Change, Equipment Choices, and Building Modifications
Amorette Getty, University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) has initiated a major push to improve the energy efficiency of the collective laboratory buildings on its campus. UCSB's LabRATS program has conducted assessments of user behavior in 43 campus laboratories in the past six years, and has now begun a program to assess the larger systems and internal laboratory infrastructure of their most high-profile research buildings. The performance of all laboratory buildings on campus has been quantified using the Labs21 benchmarking process, in many cases in conjunction with LEED® certification efforts. In-depth analyses of UCSB's engineering science building, which uses 5 million kilotwatt hours/year (kWh/year) and includes a 12,700-square-foot (sq. ft.) cleanroom facility on the first floor, revealed that significant opportunities for energy savings were available not only in the more aging laboratory buildings, but also in newer facilities.
Analysis of the Engineering Science Building and class 100/1000 clean Nanofabrication facility took a three-pronged approach, separately addressing the behavior of users in the facility, the equipment within the laboratories, and building-wide systems such as air supply and exhaust and water systems. Utilizing techniques developed by the LabRATS program, user behavior within the laboratory was analyzed, demonstrating significant opportunities for occupant education and behavior modification. Methods of sample cleaning in de-ionized (DI) water were shown to be both wasteful and ineffective. Fumehood sash positions were monitored through the building information system, providing quantitative measurements of the impact of outreach efforts surrounding sash closure policy, which showed a 25 percent improvement over baseline values. These and other findings illustrate to researchers that conservation efforts are synergetic with their other priorities as often as they are in conflict.
A full inventory of equipment in the UCSB nanofababrication facility revealed multiple opportunities for improved equipment management. Under-utilized setups were identified to be powered down between runs. At the university, replacement of equipment with more energy-efficient options is not feasible since the energy bills are not paid for by the laboratories purchasing the equipment. New laboratories and equipment purchases and planned retrofits, however, provide an excellent opportunity to introduce more efficient equipment and laboratory technologies. In the nanofabrication cleanroom, equipment exhaust requirements define the amount of supply air required for the laboratory, and require the laboratory's exhaust stacks to run continuously at full capacity. An addition of a third stack is currently planned to accommodate growing exhaust needs, and this retrofit provides an opportunity to add additional efficiency measures to the air handling system.
Biography:
Amorette Getty is a postdoctoral fellow with the Institute for Energy Efficiency (IEE) at University of California, Santa Barbara. Ms. Getty’s work focuses on improving the energy and resource efficiency of engineering research laboratories, particularly cleanrooms, through modifications to equipment, retrofits of existing infrastructure, and end-user behavioral changes. She coordinates closely with UCSB's Laboratory Research and Technical Staff (LabRATS), which conducts sustainability assessments of individual laboratories and administrates a variety of projects related to laboratory sustainability. Prior to her appointment at the IEE, she received her Ph.D. in materials science at UCSB. Her graduate research focused on improving the efficiency of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for solid state lighting and related applications.