Add My Company
Laboratories have inherently high energy demands including ventilation, air handling and containment or fume extraction. To achieve a good or outstanding BREEAM status a laboratory should incorporate highly sustainable features, low energy design strategies and contribute to a building’s overall sustainability objective.
When adopted, BREEAM enhances communication with the design team across an entire building infrastructure. We looked at the impact of energy efficient air handling units in contributing to higher BREEAM ratings previously, but how can buildings, such as universities, work on more specialist areas to ensure they’re as sustainable as possible?
High ratings for refurbishments in research or laboratory settings are complicated but required to achieve sustainable goals. Educational laboratories are one of the largest energy consuming sectors in the UK, consuming between four to six times more energy per square metre than standard offices or commercial buildings. Much of this is associated with the high rates of ventilation required to maintain air quality. Reducing energy consumption in laboratories is a significant method of reducing overall energy use that is addressed in the BREEAM energy category Ene.07.
Ene.07: Energy Efficient Laboratories
This credit can only apply in buildings with laboratories and seeks to recognise and encourage laboratory areas that are designed to be energy efficient and minimise the CO2 emissions associated with their operational energy consumption. New and existing research or laboratory facilities often integrate low carbon energy saving technology and energy efficient components such as high efficiency fume cupboards and fan in the design of the lab. Fume cupboards are an important component in laboratory ventilation systems and play a critical role in protecting laboratory occupants from harmful chemicals and substances.
In BREEAM assessments fume cupboards are evaluated based on their performance in controlling airflows and preventing the escape of hazardous substances into the laboratory environment. The assessment also evaluates the efficiency of the fume cupboards ventilation system and whether it meets the industry standards for performance and safety. EC fume fans can contribute to a laboratory’s BREEAM status by improving the energy efficiency of the laboratory’s ventilation system. By using electronically commutated motors to power corrosion resistant polypropylene fans used in a ducted fume cupboard, energy consumption can be significantly reduced compared to those with traditional AC motors. Delivering a consistent and optimal airflow means better fume cupboard performance.
Achieve Your Lab Energy Efficiency & Sustainability Goals with EC Fan Retrofits
According to the International Energy Agency, electric motors account for approximately 45% of all global electricity usage and 75% of all industrial electricity usage. Efficiency is especially important in today’s climate, for reducing CO2 emissions but also for reducing the cost of the motor over its lifecycle. Based on regulations that came into effect in July 2021, premium efficiency motors (IE3) should be specified in all new installations, when purchasing spares, on major updates to existing processes and when replacing oversized or existing IE2 motors. When calculating the IE classification, energy efficiency of an electric motor is calculated as the ratio of the mechanical output power to the electrical input power.
The impressive range of corrosive fume fans from Axair Fans includes an energy efficient range featuring IE5 EC motors, known as the ultra-premium efficiency range, according to the electric motor efficiency regulations. As the market demands more energy efficient systems, the introduction of the EC range of fans allows fume cupboard manufacturers to reduce their fan energy consumption by up to 20% without affecting performance, ultimately enhancing the energy efficiency of the entire fume extraction system. The IP55 polypropylene range of EC fans and motors are available in a variety of sizes in both single and three phase variants covering airflows from 20-9000m3/hr and pressures to 1500Pa.
For more information on BREEAM Energy Efficient Laboratories with EC Fume Fans talk to Axair Fans UK Ltd