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Air Change Improvements and Benchmarking
Harvard University’s Lab Inhalation Risk Assessment (LIRA) program is a novel approach to evaluating lab ventilation effectiveness. LIRA is a core component of the Harvard Laboratory Ventilation Management Plan (LVMP), which combines traditional inhalation risk assessment with-real time, high-resolution data via spectroscopy. The Harvard LVMP is now operating in several laboratories including the Science and Engineering Complex, which is a LEED Platinum, Living Building Challenge Petal Certified building. Fundamentally, this is safety-driven energy savings program that supports decision making when determining general lab ventilation setpoints.
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During this webinar, Quentin Gilly of the Harvard University Office for Sustainability will discuss the development and implementation of the LIRA program and the LVMP, and the associated costs and savings. This service could be adapted by any laboratory and support your safety and sustainability goals.
LEAF Sustainable Lab Framework
The UK government set a net-zero 2050 target, which resulted in a sector-leading 2040 target for the UK’s largest funder of research, UKRI. But how will this affect scientific operations and growth? Laboratories are recognising their energy intensive nature, and assessing their immense consumption of consumables. More green lab efforts are growing around the world, though more standards are needed. LEAF, developed by UCL, is one such standard which has now been supported by UK funders. It has quickly become the world’s most widely used green lab certification, and is in use in over 90 institutions from 15 countries. To support LEAF, UCL and others have initiated investigations of carbon impacts of science. Participants will leave with an understanding of:
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How funders and governments are driving sustainability goals in science
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What the true carbon impacts of science resemble
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An introduction of what Net-Zero science could look like
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An introduction to LEAF
Frankfurt Lab Ventilation System Upgrade Achieves 60% Energy Savings
The renovation of ventilation systems in seven Frankfurt laboratory buildings, with calculated costs of €11 million, was 50 percent funded by the state of Hessen as part of a CO2 reduction program. In one of the buildings, the ventilation system was already rebuilt in autumn 2022, cost and energy saving data will be presented. The central ventilation units, all control components in the duct network and the associated special exhaust fans of the fume hoods were rebuilt. Presence buttons have been added to enable demand-oriented control. Air exchange rates have been significantly reduced.