Cool Controls for the Energy Efficient Lab
Source:rdmag.com, Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The high energy demands of laboratories can be tamed with control systems for airflow and lighting, as well as a cool answer from above.
About 44% of the energy consumed by HVAC equipment is for ventilation loads that help a laboratory function safely; fume hoods are the largest driver of laboratory exhaust. To protect laboratory technicians from exposure to hazardous chemicals, many areas in a laboratory require fresh air that is conditioned, used once, and exhausted. Described in dollars per unit of exhausted air per year, "U.S. laboratory energy usage is seeing costs range from $3 to $7 per cfm per year," says Paul Fuson, business development manager, life science, Siemens Industry Inc., Buffalo Grove, Ill.