Green Lab Program: Metrics and Quantifying Success

Allen Doyle , UC Davis

Delphine Faugeroux, UC Riverside

Allison Paradise, My Green Lab

Learning Objectives

●Learn Plug Load Metering Equipment and Strategies

●Learn benefits and limitations of plug load metering

●Learn Waste Audit results for laboratories

●Compare significance of laboratory waste streams

Electricity Metering and Behavior in labs

GOAL: Measure discretionary power conservation in Labs

● How much Electricity is used in one lab?● Can Behavior Change be measured?● Identify Base Load vs Analytical Load ● Is it significant compared to total building electricity?● Find the missing source of kW?

Key stakeholders in “Plug Load” NOT IT!

● Budgets -- It’s free, right?

● Design -- 10W/SF spec

● Researchers -- 1 W/SF Do what it takes, word of mouth selection or opportunistic (e.g. 4x capacity pumps)

● Manufacturers --timers rare, encourage oversizing, no guidance for HVAC

●Facilities -- Last to know; ventilation challenges●IT -- Wifi Complexity; Ethernet not even secure

What Scale to Meter? At the Circuit and Equipment Level

Bottom Up Strategy to Circuits:Building

Floor 3 Rooms Equipment

Floor 2

Floor 1

Metering decision tree● What scale to meter?

● What scale to educate ?

Metering can be complex, … or simple

Meter Selection—Riverside & DavisBrand Sensor Sensor

Location Comm # Ch Web XS

Fqy(min)

Cost ($k) Comments

MAMAC pulseelectrical

panelWiFi

Ethernet 8 Y 1 0.8Pulse, IT Hurdles, too frequent

Ubiquiti Plug 120 V WiFi 1 or 4 Y 5 sec 0.1 IT Hurdles, easy to install

Dent CT plugUSB, Ether 4 15 1.0 Diagnostic

Hobo meter

CTelectrical

panelCell 15 Y 5 4.0 Intuitive set-up

Klatu CT, °C Plug, °C WiFi 2 Y 5 0.5 IT Hurdles, battery

WattsUpPro

Plug PlugDisplay,

serial 1 15 0.3Fast, Good for snapshot or single appliance

Study Sites Selection:

Riverside #1: Analytical Chemistry – Chemical Science Building

Riverside #2: Life Sciences/Biology – Genomics Building

Davis #1: Equipment Room (6 freezers);

Davis #2: Inorganic Chemistry -- 14 Furnaces, 5 Vacuum Pumps, 3 Glove boxes; Welder; Scintering

Davis #3: 26 ULT freezers (Warranty issue); High % On time; “Data for repair effectiveness"

Riverside #1 and #2

#2#1

● Chemistry:• 2 Rooms: plug load + lighting = 4 meters• Weekly csv file received by emails – min, hour, day, week data• Access to data online, downloadable, and graphs

Lighting #323

Lighting #325

Data collection and analysis - Riverside #1

Lights on all night12kWh/night = $1

Data collection and analysis - Riverside #2 : Overview ● Riverside #2 Life Science:

●equipment level

Data collection and analysis: Date/Time Selection

● Riverside #2 Life Science:●equipment level

Data collection and analysis: Impact Overview

● Riverside #2 Life Science:●equipment level

Data collection and analysis: Graphs/Charts

● Riverside #2 Life Science:●equipment level

Data collection and analysis: Differential Data Analysis● Riverside #2 Life Science:

●equipment level

Riverside #2: energy opportunities● Biology/Life Sciences

Cumulative Energy used over a month - kWh -20°C deli fridge double doors

Bench top incubator/shaker-20°C deli fridge single door

Dual water baths37°C incubator – 26cu.ftGel doc machine + UV lampGrowth light fixture

Riverside #2: Electricity Baseline● Biology/Life Sciences: 5 months

● Open lab; shared equipment

● Bench top: water bath, gel doc, incubator/shaker, growth lights…

● Cold storage equipment: refrigerator, -20 freezer, ULTs

Bench top equipment 14,098 kWh/day

1 refrigerator & 1 -20°C freezer 6,758 kWh/day

ULT 3 @ 24 kWh/day 72,000 kWh/day

TOTAL 92,856 kWh/day

15%

7%

78%

bench top equipment1 refrigerator double door and one -20 freezerULT 3 @ 24kWh/day

Plug load uses almost 100 kWh/day

Riverside #1 Electricity Baseline (Weekly Totals)● Chemistry: 5 months

Does NOT include HVAC Lighting in lab needs to be address as labs don’t operate on 8 to 5 schedule

Chemistry lab (2 rooms)

kW/h/day % Std

Lighting 34.8 43 +/- 11.66

Plug load 46.4 57 +/- 9.48

Total 81.23 100% +/- 21.14

Lighting: 0.7 W/SFPlug load: 1.0 W/SF

Riverside #1 Electricity Baseline● Chemistry

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Daily energy consumption, plug load onlyPL 325 PL 323

24/7 equipmente.g.: HPLCLow baseline at 23kWh/d

Bench top equipmentLow baseline at 4kWh/d

Green Lab implementation● Discussion● Behavior change program● Signage● Emails reminder

Riverside #2 : Savings post Green Lab● Equipment level

● “Turn it off!”

● Timer

● Success #1: Water Bath

Green Lab Starts

• Use it only when needed• Only one bath at a time, depending on need

Energy use: Dual Water Bath

W/h

W/h

1.1kW/h/day

Riverside #2 : Savings● “Turn it off!”

● Success #2: incubator shaker

● Failure: Open lab, shared equipment

Green Lab Starts

• Increased use, decreased energy.• Staying ON for shorter periods of time

Incubator/Shaker

0.9 kW/h/day

Riverside #1: Savings● 2 months post Green Lab

0

25

50

75

100

125

150

175

200

225

250

275

300

10/15 10/30 11/14 11/29 12/14 12/29 1/13 1/28 2/12 2/27 3/13 3/28 4/12 4/27 5/12 5/27 6/11

Weekly electricity use (kWh)

Lighting 323 Lighting 325 Plug load 323 Plug load 325Linear (Lighting 323) Linear (Lighting 325) Linear (Plug load 323) Linear (Plug load 325)

2 months Post Green Lab

Average Savings

Average savings

(kWh/week)

Weekly comparison

lights #323 10% 11.5#325 7% 8.3

plug load #323 -3% (3.3)#325 7% 14.7

TOTAL 31.2

Start sharing #323 with another lab during the study

Site Selection: More difficult than expected!

● CHALLENGES in Davis• More difficult to find sites than expected: Walkthroughs revealed

equipment was off in shared spaces: engineering, veterinary sciences, genomic sciences; NMR, AFM had low power density)

• Permanent BAS metering expensive, delayed due to staffing, value long range? ($10k for 6 floors, moderate resolution)

• Circuit mapping needed ahead of time.

● Researchers: all willing; some eager to compare equipment

Davis #1 Small Freezer Farm 225 SFTest Site for Thermo Freezer

● Note Freezer in front of temperature sensor on wall.

Davis #2 Inorganic Chemistry Lab 663 SFParticipant in Green Lab Program

11 Circuits & Mains

Davis #3 26 Identical ULT Freezers: °C , Amps ● Some Cycling

regularly and keeping temperature

● Some Struggling or Failing

#532 Healthy cycling 26 kWh/d#566 Deviant temperature trace, wandering with no openings. Compressor always on. 35 kWh/d

RESULTS: Davis #1 Freezer Room Same old stories!18 W/SF!

● Not designed for high power density; Air supply tripled; doors open

Reject heat swirling around, warming intake air 10 °F

● 2 freezers failed unexpectedly in 6 months

● 1 running 24/7 = 30 kWh/d; CHILL UP -70 saved 5 kWh/d. Near Failure?

● Efficient freezer =~ 50% others, in front of wall sensor = 80 °FMoving Freezer 3’ allowed supply air to drop 300 CFM; Upgrading all freezers would save $1,500/y relieving HVAC, +$1,500 plug load/y

● One ULT @ -60 °C; legacy setting from ‘70’s; Saving 6 kWh/d

#1 Freezer Farm Air Circulation PuzzlesDirecting Supply Air (60 °F) to Floor

70

Why Heating Up? (-10% Efficiency)

Directing Reject Hot Air to Ceiling with Baffles

Measuring Exhaust Air Temperature

After Moving Freezer 3’ away from sensor:● Air flow reduces by 50% at night.

● Increases during the day

● 250 CFM Average Reduction = $750/y

Davis #2 Panel “S” Main Feeds (hourly mean)Average 8.6 W/SF less than spec!Canopies running constantly (CV building)

Base: Two Pumps Oversized 2x = 1kW (1.3 W/SF); Analytic: variable, minor opportunities; Furnace Insulation?

Davis #3 Monitoring 26 Freezers

● Fleet only 3 years old. High failure rate, gaskets icing inside; Mechanical problems; Distant supplier (Bmedical)

● 9 Run Times > 80%

● Tested at 20 kWh/d; Fleet average 28 kWh/d

● CHILL UP not adopted yet; cautious users

● May provide data for Utility Rebates: “commissioning” vs “raising set point”

● Negotiating with supplier! (BMedical)

100%

Davis: Missing Load -- 60-80 kW, >> lab findingsGhausi 37,000 ASF; 50% lab (engineering)

● Lab Apparatus?

● Servers?

● Next Metering…

HVAC

Total

Pumps

Fans

?

What Scale to Meter? NEXT TIME

Top Down Strategy Missing Load Building

Floor 3 Rooms Equipment

Floor 2

Floor 1

Plug Load Metering: Resultsa) 7% saving identified and more for some specific equipment

b) Normal variability in plug load of 25% can make it difficult to meter small conservation changes.

c) More difficult to engage scientists in open labs with shared equipment

d) Difficult to locate significant discretionary power at the final circuit level (Bottom-Up)

e) Cold storage continues to stand out for power savings (18 W/SF) and risk reduction

f) Small-Moderate conservation was possible; but failing freezers and oversized pumps not obvious;

g) Permanent sub-metering is relatively expensive at the floor level, somewhat disruptive to schedule, requires monitoring or analytic software.

Plug Load Metering: Recommendationsa) Behavior change campaign can save at least 2% in laboratories

b) Top-down, brief metering (snapshots) may uncover major power conservation opportunities at the building scale

c) Testing insulation on furnaces may reveal energy savings

d) Compare sub-metering at the floor level to Top Down snapshot strategies

e) Ventilation savings (e.g. CV canopies, and misplacement of equipment) far outstrip discretionary plug load and needs attention.

f) Some HVAC energy will likely be reduced with efficient freezers.

g) Alerting and Training Researchers can save energy in right-sizing equipment, air management and behavior change.

Waste reduction and metrics in laboratories

METRICS

Weight— Disposal Costs

Volume— Hauling Costs

Visual— Occupant Impact

Purchase-- Re-Use, storage

Site selection

Site selection: (examples?)●By default●On purpose 2013 Davis Characterization of 40 buildings ●By request Green Labs Clients

Different waste streams:●Biology: more consumables; more biohazardous waste (?)●Chemistry: gloves; plastics bottles

Study design, permissions, and informing

Stakeholders:

Waste Hauler

EHS

Dean / Dept Head

ResearchersBuilding Manager

Facilities / Custodial StaffSustainability

Audit Parameters

RiversideOffice of Sustainability

DavisOffice of ESS

San DiegoMy Green Lab

• Life Science Bldg• 1.5 Years• Started as pilot• Weekly pick up • Mixed recycling and

Foam coolers• Ready to extend

• 3 Life Sci,1 Teaching, 1 Physics

• 2013 Study of 24 Bldgs

• Single pick-up • LANDFILL 2 YD Bins• 25 sort categories

• Life Sciences• Daily Pick Up, 2 wk• One floor: 6 labs

• Mixed recycling only• Will be extended

Riverside: How much effort to recycle lab materials?

Life Sciences (Genomics): 25 PI’s; 106,000 SF

● 70 lbs of mixed recycling per week

● 50 coolers per month - average 150/month for 8 science buildings

● Program: $5,000/year

● Extrapolating to 20 large lab buildings, this recycling represents:

2.4% total Solid Municipal Waste.

Davis: What was NOT being recycled in labs (2013)?2% 1% 1%1%

3%1%4%

3%

4%

10%

36%

1%

6%

6%

21%

Materials in Waste CharacterizationFive Laboratory BuildingsUC Davis, 2013 650,000 GSF

Paper Cardboard BooksScrap Metal Cans & Bottles Large AppliancesDurable Furniture Construction & Demolition Lab Materials

Food scraps Compostable Paper Plastic FilmPlastics #3-7 Other Landfill

Davis: What IS being recycled in labs (2015)?“Patchy” Collection:

● Solvents (Acetone)

● Pipette Tip Boxes

● Bottles—Standard

● Gloves—4 Tons 2016?

● Foam—4 Semi’s / year @700#

San Diego: How much effort to recycle lab materials?● Drosophila/C. Elegans labs, 6 PI's, 1 floor

● 5 lbs/week, ~5 gallons/week● Pipette tip boxes, centrifuge tubes, film● Most work done on glass or biohazard● Unable to look at gloves● UCSD recycling policy: already exists for labs!

Results Summary● Faculty Good Will !!● Researchers eager to sort, AND take to dock

● Behavior change can impact waste diversion across building/campus

● Waste Actions a good enrollment activity, builds to energy and water savings; more $ value for the campus

● Bins and signage is Easy to implement

● Pick up is Challenging to manage

● Disposable lab plastic <5% of campus MSW weight

Recommendations

●Focus on basics: Paper, Compost● Other: film plastic; surplus equipment—(high value!)

● METRICS: We may need to rethink what we use as our metrics● Volume

● Surplus Lost Value (a.k.a. Dumpster Diving, before the dumpster)

●waste-to-energy

● closed loop evaluation

● Next step: look at % of recycling vs % of trash in lab building?

THANK YOU!

●Delphine●Allison ●Allen