SUSTAINABILITY OPPORTUNITY – FUME HOODS

Laboratory fume hoods capture and move hazardous materials away from workers and out the building and as such these protective devices present a significant energy saving opportunity. In Colorado, a single open fume hood can consume as much energy as one home. The high energy use is due to fresh, conditioned air constantly being exhausted through them to the outdoors. Most fume hoods at Mines are variable air volume (VAV). That means they are designed to vary the air flow based on how wide open is the sash height. An easy way to reduce the energy consumption of a fume hood is to SHUT THE SASH when not in use. Fume hood sashes provide an important SAFETY barrier between the experimental hazard(s) and the worker. Only open hood sashes to setup or modify an experiment, then close them again. Don’t store chemicals in a fume hood. Chemicals belong in a safety cabinet, which do not require huge volumes of air.

STAY SAFE. SAVE ENERGY. SHUT THE SASH!

GREEN LAB RESOURCES