Modern Building Services

26 MODERN BUILDING SERVICES JUNE 2022 FEATURE VERTICAL FOCUS: RETAIL, EDUCATION AND LEISURE W ith Universities and Colleges’ research funding undergoing changes due to Brexit, and unpredictability regarding student numbers during the pandemic, financial planning has been particularly problematical. The situation has now been compounded by escalating energy costs. For institutions incorporating science facilities the rising price of energy is a particular concern. The energy consumption of laboratories is often more than three or four times that of offices on a square metre basis 1 . This can mean that laboratory buildings are responsible for between 50% and 80% of the total energy- related (non-residential) carbon emissions of research-intensive universities. Government research facilities, hospitals and private sector laboratories are similarly affected, with energy consumption presenting significant financial and environmental challenges. Improving the environmental performance of laboratory spaces is an ideal way of tackling rising operating costs. This requires careful consideration, however, to safeguard the health and safety of building occupants and tomaintain the integrity of testing and research outcomes, which rely on accurate control of environmental conditions. So what measures can colleges and universities take to address escalating energy costs? 1. Best practice for new builds The latest new build projects for science blocks are rethinking how space is utilised, and are placing multidisciplinary teaching and research at the centre of their design. If multiple scientific disciplines can utilise the same facilities, then occupancy can be optimised and energy consumption can be kept to a minimum. At the University of Birmingham’s Collaborative Teaching Laboratory (CTL), for example, an advanced air management systemmanages the supply and extraction of air in laboratory spaces in conjunction with the ventilation requirements of the fume cupboards 2 . This enables multiple scientific disciplines to carry out teaching and research safely side-by-side, whilst achieving the optimum level of environmental and financial performance. 2. Tackling efficiency of existing facilities Most universities and colleges, however, will be looking to drive down the energy costs of their existing laboratories (rather than building new science blocks), and the first place to look for energy savings is the fume cupboard. These pieces of laboratory hardware are major contributors to the high energy costs and carbon emissions of the science campus, due to their air supply and extraction requirements. A 900mmwide cupboard with a maximum sash height of 500mm and face velocity of 0.5 m/s, for example, would extract approximately 225 l/s of conditioned air from the room. This is far higher than for the typical office area or general teaching space. So, to save energy by reducing demand on air conditioning system components such as Air Handling Units, chillers and fans, you need to begin by tackling the efficiency of the fume cupboards. 3. Creating a variable air volume (VAV) environment Transitioning older fume cupboards from constant to variable air volume has significant energy-saving potential. For the example above, the air requirement would drop from 225 l/s to just 55 l/s when the sash of the fume cupboard is down, reducing the conditioned air requirement by 170 l/s. So creating VAV operations across the science campus is a priority. Ian Thomas , Product Manager – Lab Control at TROX UK looks at the significant challenges Universities and Colleges have faced in recent years including escalating energy costs. Ten ways to tackle science campus energy costs