Carbon Neutral for All? Laboratory Equipment Energy Efficiency Survey

Transcription

1 Carbon Neutral for All? Laboratory Equipment Energy Efficiency Survey Submitted by Kerry S.Y. KO UBC Applied Science Undergraduate June 2010

2 Acknowledgements The special thank goes to my supervisors Noga Levit and Anke Sieb who provided me with great support and supervision. Their trust, guidance and help are indeed much appreciated. I truly enjoyed working together with them as a team. My grateful thanks also go to Victor Luk and Randy Deane from the Michael Smith Lab. Their enthusiasm and contribution are much appreciated. Special thanks also to the following people who contributed their effort and time to participate in this project: Wesley Wong and Jamal Kurtu from Pharmaceutical Department, Melanie Betrand from Brain Research Laboratory, Cristian Sperantia from Laboratory of Periodontal Biology, Pedro Alaise and Zhaoming Xu from Food, Nutrition and Health Department, Helen Bottriell from Chemistry Department, Jarnail Mehroke from Botany Laboratory, Louise Creagh from Chemical and Biological Engineering Department and Valerie Smith from MacGillivray Laboratory.

3 Contents Acknowledgement Introduction Purpose Literature Review Methodology Results Autoclaves Biosafety Cabinets Centrifuges Freezers Incubators Ovens Refrigerators Shakers Conclusion... 35

4 List of Figures and Tables Figure 1: Measurement of Power Consumption (W) of a Fridge (FFU2124DW9) at Brain Research Lab... 7 Figure 2: Measurement of Power Consumption (W) of a Fridge (FFU2124DW9) at Michael Smith Lab... 7 Figure 3: Measurement of Power Consumption of Autoclave (VWR AS12) Figure 4: Refrigerated Highspeed Centrifuge Figure 5: Refrigerated Microfuge Placed inside a Milk Fridge (at 13200rpm) Figure 6: Frost in a -20 C Freezer Figure 7: Power Rating of - 20 C Freezer V163A Figure 8: Power Consumption Measurement of - 20 C Freezer V163A Figure 9: Measurement of Power Consumption of an Oven Table 1: Power Consumption of Autoclaves Table 2: Power Consumption of Biosafety Cabinets Table 3: Power Consumption of Microfuges Table 4: Power Consumption of High Speed Centrifuges Table 6: Power Consumption of- 20 C Freezers Table 7: Power Consumption of - 80 C Freezers Table 8: Power Consumption of Incubators Table 9: Power Consumption of Ovens Table 10: Power Consumption of Refrigerators Table 11: Power Consumption of Shakers... 34

5 1.0 Introduction This report entitled Carbon Neutral for All? delivers on the University of British Columbia s commitment to maintain a sustainable campus by evaluating laboratory equipment energy efficiency in a number of major laboratories on campus. The project is a joint initiative of the UBC Department of Health, Safety and Environment and Campus Sustainability Office in UBC. Laboratory equipment was selected and analyzed in four buildings and five laboratories from March to June 2010 as listed below: Buildings: - Chemistry Building (Block A) - Food, Nutrition and Health Science Building - Michael Smith Lab Building - Pharmaceutical Building Laboratories: - Botany Lab in the Bioscience Building - Brain Research Lab in the UBC Hospital - Chemical and Biological Engineering (Room 402) - Laboratory of Periodontal Biology in JB Macdonald Building - MacGillivray Lab in the Life Science Building 2.0 Purpose The primary purpose of this research was to evaluate the energy efficiency of commonly used laboratory equipment on UBC campus. This report also intends to provide recommendations in purchasing energy efficient equipment and maintenance practices for various departments on campus.

6 3.0 Literature Review Much of the most literature on the energy consumption of laboratory equipment comes from the product specifications provided by manufacturers. EnerGuide Appliance Directory from the Natural Resources Canada also presents useful information to this study. 4.0 Methodology In the first stage of the study, laboratories from different departments in UBC were identified and invited to partake in the survey. Lab equipment including autoclaves, biosafety cabinets, centrifuges, -20 C freezers, -80 C freezers, incubators, ovens, refrigerators and shakers were studied. Information such as current (A), voltage (V) and power (W) was collected directly from the nameplate affixed to the equipment. Information such as unit capacity and power consumption (W) was not always shown on the name plates and thus occasionally information was obtained from the online specifications provided by manufacturers. Information from third parties such as Natural Resources Canada (EnerGuide) was also used in the context of this report. In the second stage, 24 pieces of equipment were selected and tested using two wattmeters named kill-a-watt and WattsupPRO. Data including current (A), voltage (V), power (W) and kilowatt-hour (kwh) were logged either manually using kill-a-watt or automatically using WattsupPRO for a duration of up to 200 minutes. The power consumption of certain equipment was relatively steady and thus the survey duration might be shorter than 200 minutes. For kill-a-watt, measurements were taken and recorded every 3 minutes and for WattsupPRO every 5 seconds. Due to electrical requirements of the wattmeters, only lab equipment which requires voltage of 120V or below and current of 15W or below was tested. It was found that power consumption of two equipment of the same model could vary. As seen in Figure 1 and Figure 2 below, two refrigerators having the same model were tested using WattsupPRO and the average power consumption varied slightly by approximately 10%. Therefore, it is important to note that power consumption depends very much on how you use the equipment. The amount of samples and specimen in the fridge, for instance, could have an impact on how much

7 energy is being consumed. Apart from this, units of the same model but different year of manufacture might have different level of energy consumption. Average Power: 133W Figure 1: Measurement of Power Consumption (W) of a Fridge (FFU2124DW9) at Brain Research Lab Average Power: 120W Figure 2: Measurement of Power Consumption (W) of a Fridge (FFU2124DW9) at Michael Smith Lab

8 After measuring the average power consumption of the selected units, stage 3 proceeded to compare the energy efficiency of different equipment. Although over 200 pieces of equipment have been looked into, yet over half of them do not include the power rating on their name plates or in their product specifications. This limited the quantity of the equipment which could be studied in this survey, Equipment in each lab might have different usage time and by averaging the operating hours of each kind of equipment, weekly power consumption can be acquired using the following equation: For the equipment which was tested, the weekly power consumption (kwh/week) can be obtained using the same equation. But instead of using the nameplate power rating, the actual measured power rating was used. According to the UBC Sustainability Office, the cost per kilowatt-hour changes from year to year. In 2009/10, the cost was $ per kilowatt-hour, which is used to calculate the weekly cost of operating the equipment using the following equation. In this context, it is important to note that this rate of cost is usually less than other residential and commercial rates. 5.0 Results Except for -80 C freezer, two or more units of each kind of equipment were selected and tested. The actual measured power consumption was always lower than the power rating stated on the nameplates, except for one of the freezers which will be discussed in section 5.4. Tables showing name plate power ratings and actual measured power ratings are included at the end of each section and the measured values are in italic form for easier comparison.

9 5.1 Autoclaves Autoclaves in UBC are used for five hours a week in general. They are one of the units which consume a lot of energy. Most of the autoclaves in the university are hard-wired and the steam they use is provided by the university. Some labs such as Michael Smith Labs have their own steam generating station to avoid anti-corrosive chemicals added in the central steaming system in the university. Most benchtop autoclaves also do not require the steam provided by the university as the amount of steam they need is fairly small which could be generated by the autoclaves themselves. For the hard-wired autoclaves, the nameplates often could not be found and manufacturers of the selected equipment do not usually present the electrical specifications of the products. Additionally, most of the energy is in fact used in the steaming process. As a result, only the steam-generating autoclaves were investigated in this study and results can be found in table 1. A few models available in the market are also included at the end of the table. Two benchtop autoclaves (Harvey ST75925 and VWR AS12) were tested to evaluate their actual power consumption. The start up (steam-generating) period was the most energy consuming and both units reached the maximum temperature in approximately 30 minutes. Then less power was needed to maintain this temperature and thus power consumption decreased by around 60%. The entire sterilization process ended with a drying period, when the door of the autoclave was left opened and specimen and samples were dried up. For the two units which were tested in this study, it was assumed that they are always used for a 60 minutes cycle - 30 minutes of steam-generating period, 25 minutes sterilizing period and 5 minutes drying period. Both units were tested in wrapped heating mode, which was the common mode of operation. It was also discovered that the units did consume energy even when they were not running. Harvey ST L consumed 13.0W when it was switched on without undergoing any of the processes mentioned above. VWR AS12 consumed 14.4W in the same situation. So it is highly recommended to switch off the units when they are not in use. Figure 3 below illustrates the result of one of the measurements. At 33:00, the temperature reached 135 C. At 40:00, steaming process was complete and drying period began.

10 Figure 3: Measurement of Power Consumption of Autoclave (VWR AS12)

11 Table 1: Power Consumption of Autoclaves Manufacturers Model Capacity (L) Nameplate Power Rating (W) kwh/week * 1 kwh/week/l * 1 Cost ($/week) * 1 Remarks GETINGE 533LS Harvey ST Benchtop Harvey ST * Measured by wattmeter Market Forge STM-EL Sanyo MLS-3020C Vertical Top-loading VWR AS Benchtop VWR AS * Measured by wattmeter Other Common Models: Sanyo SA Benchtop SciCan BRAVO Vertical Top-loading Tuttnauer 2540M Vernitron * 1 Assume autoclaves are used for 5 hours/week * 2 Assume 30 minutes steam-generating period (1227W), 25 minutes steaming period (421W), and 5 minutes drying process (304W). * 3 Assume 30 minutes steam-generating period (1175W), 25 minutes steaming period (471W), and 5 minutes drying process (106W)

12 5.2 Biosafety Cabinets There are three classes of biosafety cabinets: Class I, Class II and Class III. Class II cabinets, which are the most commonly used biosafety cabinets in UBC, are designed for personnel, product and environmental protection. NuAire Biosafety Cabinets (Nu and Nu ) are the most commonly used models on campus. Thermo Forma 1200 and 1284 are also used in a few labs. However, power rating could not be found on any nameplates or in the specifications obtained in the manufacturers websites. Therefore measurements were taken for the NuAire models; yet the power requirements for Thermo Forma models exceeded the electrical capacity of the wattmeters and therefore measurements were abandoned. An energy saving technology which is based on a brushless direct current (BLDC) permanent magnet design improves performance and offers greater efficiencies than the ones with alternating current (AC) motors. These BLDC motors in theory can save up to 80% of the energy consumption (Thermo, 2010). Table 2 shows the power consumption of the tested models. A few more models with known power ratings are also included at the end of the table for comparative purpose. The usage time of biosafety cabinets varied from 20 hours a week to 168 hours a week. In this study, it was assumed that the biosafety cabinets are used 100 hours a week.

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14 Table 2: Power Consumption of Biosafety Cabinets Manufacturers Model Operating Measured Capacity kwh/week kwh/week/l Cost Average (L) * 1 * 1 ($/week) Power (W) * 1 Remarks NuAire Nu * Measured by wattmeter NuAire Nu Measured by wattmeter Other Common Models: Thermo Forma * Thermo Scientific Thermo Scientific Thermo Scientific * * * * 1 Assume biosafety cabinets are used for 100 hours/week * 2 Measurements were taken on two identical models. 606W is the average value of the two Blower on, lights out: 142.5W Unit off, UV on: 25.9W Blower reduced, lights out: 66.5W Blower reduced, UV on: 87.0W Blower off, lights on: 67.0W Unit off: 5.5W * 4 Blower on, lights out: 346W Unit off, UV on: N/A Blower reduced, lights out: 119W Blower reduced, UV on: 160W Blower off, lights on: 62.0W Unit off: 3.0W * 4 Blower on, lights out: 185W Unit off, UV on: 41.0W Blower reduced, lights out: 67.8W Blower reduced, UV on: 102 W Blower off, lights on: 72.3W Unit off: 6.5W * 4 * 3 Source: Labs for the 21 st Century, Class_II,_A2_Biosafety_Cabinet * 4 Source: Thermo Scientific,

15 5.3 Centrifuges Centrifuges are divided into three categories Microfuges, High Speed Centrifuges and Ultracentrifuges. Microfuges are smaller centrifuges and their capacities are usually below 100mL. The speed of ultracentrifuges is at least rpm and centrifuges with a speed lower than this are considered as high speed centrifuges. It was found that microcentrifuges consume the least energy, which is approximately 10 times less than the high speed centrifuges and ultracentrifuges. Some of the centrifuges have refrigeration, which are more energy consuming than the non-refrigerated centrifuges. Centrifuges are usually used for a short period of time, around 5 to 15 minutes per cycle. On average, they are used for around 5 hours per week. For the non-refrigerated microfuge that was tested, the energy consumption remained fairly steady throughout this survey. Refrigerated centrifuges usually require more energy at first to reach a desirable temperature as illustrated in Figure 4. During one of the lab visits, it was observed that the Laboratory of Periodontal Biology in JB Macdonld Building optimizes their energy use by placing a refrigerated microfuge into a reach-in glass door refrigerator (milk fridge), in which the temperature of the centrifuge is constantly maintained at a desirable level. This practice not only reduces energy which is used to lower the temperature, it also allows the centrifuge to be ready for use at anytime. For that particular centrifuge, which was placed and operated inside a milk fridge, the temperature was always kept at 4 C and thus required no extra energy to bring the temperature down. As seen in Figure 5, the energy level was quite steady implying that no excess energy is drawn by the centrifuge for refrigeration. For the three centrifuges which were tested, all of them consumed energy once the power was on, even though they were not spinning. For one particular model (IEC MicroMax), 5W of power was drawn even when the power was off, but the centrifuge remained connected to the outlet. In other words, 4.3kWh of energy could be saved each year if the centrifuge is disconnected from the outlet when not in use.

16 Energy saving can be achieved simply by turning off the power when the centrifuges are not in use. It is also recommended that refrigerated centrifuges should be positioned away from all sources of heat such as ovens and direct sunlight. Tables 3 and 4 are the summary of the power consumption of the microfuges and high speed centrifuges found in UBC. For the ultracentrifuges that were found on campus, none of them provided power consumption information on their nameplates, nor could the information be found in the electrical specifications from the manufacturers; hence, no ultracentrifuge was included in the table. Figure 4: Refrigerated Highspeed Centrifuge

17 Figure 5: Refrigerated Microfuge Placed inside a Milk Fridge (at 13200rpm)

18 Table 3: Power Consumption of Microfuges Manufacturers Model Max Speed (rpm) Max Capacity Nameplate Power Rating (W) kwh/week * 1 Cost ($/week) * 1 Remarks Eppendorf x 2ml Eppendorf 5415C x 1.5ml Eppendorf 5415D x 2ml Eppendorf 5415D x 2ml 170* Measured by wattmeter Eppendorf 5415R x 2ml Refrigerated Eppendorf 5417C x 1.5ml Eppendorf 5417R x 0.6ml Refrigerated HERMLE - LaborTechnik Z 233 M x 2ml IEC MicroMax x 2ml 184* Measured by wattmeter Desaga - Sarstedt Grupp MC x 2 ml VWR Galaxy 14D x 2ml * 1 Assume centrifuges are used 5 hours/week * 2 Operated at a speed of 13000rpm. When the equipment was on but not running, power consumption = 4W * 3 Operated at a speed of 13200rpm. When the equipment was off but remained connected to the outlet, power consumption = 5W. Centrifuge is usually stored and ran inside a milk fridge

19 Table 4: Power Consumption of High Speed Centrifuges Manufacturers Model Max Nameplate Cost Max kwh/week Speed Power Capacity * 1 ($/week) (rpm) Rating (W) * 1 Remarks Beckman Coulter Allegra 21R x 85ml Refrigerated Beckman Coulter Allegra 21R x 85ml 652* Measured by wattmeter Beckman Coulter Avanti J-26XP x 1000ml Beckman Coulter Avanti J-E L Centrifuge Eppendorf 5804R x 100ml Eppendorf 5810R x 100ml Refrigerated Hermle - LaborTechnik Z300K x 100ml Kendro Heraeus Multifuge 3 S-R 4 x 750ml Sorvall RC 5B Plus x 1000ml Thermo Electron Sorvall Legend T QUIKset x 750ml * 1 Assume centrifuges are used 5 hours/week * 2 Equipment was running at 4500rpm. When power was on, but equipment was not running, power consumption = 438W

20 5.4 Freezers Freezers are available in a variety of styles and sizes, all of which have an impact on energy consumption. In this study, -20 C and -80 C freezers were investigated. By law, the EnerGuide Label must be attached to every new electrical appliance manufactured or imported to Canada. It is suggested that lab users should consider the amount of electricity in kilowatt-hours (kwh) shown on the EnerGuide Label while purchasing freezers. Table 6 summarizes the power consumption of ten -20 C freezers. Some of the freezers defrost automatically. Yet for those which require manual defrost, frost was found in most of these freezers as seen in Figure 6. The frost in the freezers actually acts as an insulator around the evaporator coils. This process would prevent the cold from getting to the inside and sensors would not shut off the compressors at the set points. In theory, it is suggested to defrost the ice when it has reached a thickness of 5mm 1. Manual defrost refrigerators are generally more energy efficient than auto-defrost ones as more energy is needed to maintain low temperature in the frost-free freezer compartments. Extra energy is also needed to run the fan installed in frost free freezers. Chest freezers are also more energy efficient than upright units since cold air tends not to escape upward when the door on a chest model opens. For upright models, cold air flows down and out easily when the door opens. Moisture also enters the upright freezers more easily. Dust covered on the condenser can also hinder the exchange of heat and therefore should be removed on a regular basis (at least once a year). A clearance of at least 8cm between the condenser coils at the back of the refrigerator and the wall can allow good ventilation which could possibly reduce energy use 2. Doors should also be sealed properly so cold air 1 Manitoba Hydro. Energy Saving Tips. 2 Government of South Australia Fridges and Freezers.

21 will not leak out which can also help prevent warm air and moisture seeping into the freezers. Figure 6: Frost in a -20 C Freezer

22 Table 5: Power Consumption of- 20 C Freezers Manufacturers Model Capacity (L) Nameplate Power Rating (kwh/year) kwh/year/l* 1 Operating Cost ($/week) * 1 Remarks Danby DCF 1024WE * ENERGY STAR qualified Danby DUF 1656W Manual defrost Frigidaire FFU2124DW Measured by wattmeter Kenmore C N Woods OU47-WC * Manual defrost Woods U Manual defrost Woods V163A Manual defrost Woods V163A * Measured by wattmeter Woods V17WCA Measured by wattmeter Woods U * 1 Assume freezers are on 168 hours/week * 2 EnerGuide Directory 2006, Natural Resources Canada

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24 For Freezer named Wood V163, the measured power consumption was higher than the nameplate rating (107kWh/week) which is shown in Figure 7. The year of manufacture of this model is estimated to be in the 1990s; the current performance of this unit might not be as good as when it was first manufactured. This could also be a result of a shortened survey time. As seen in Figure 8, the power consumption might continue to drop. If the power consumption drops below 150W, the weekly energy consumption would be around 107kWh/week as stated on the nameplate. Figure 7: Power Rating of - 20 C Freezer V163A

25 Figure 8: Power Consumption Measurement of - 20 C Freezer V163A For -80 C freezers, power consumption could be found in Table 7. Due to limitations of measuring meters, no representative measurements were taken. Over 60% of the -80 C freezers have no power rating stated on their nameplates or specifications; thus only eight models could be studied and compared in this report.

26 Table 6: Power Consumption of - 80 C Freezers Manufacturers Model Capacity (L) Nameplate Power Rating (kwh/year) kwh/year/l* 1 Operating Cost ($/week) * 1 Remarks Forma Scientific Sanyo MDF-U6086S Sanyo MDF-U71V Sanyo MDF-U72V Sanyo MDF-U73V Thermo Forma * Similar to model 916, but has 2 doors Thermo Scientific * Thermo Scientific * * 1 Assume freezers are on 168 hours/week * 2 At -80 C, 23 C (73.4 F) ambient, 50 percent product load

27 5.5 Incubators Incubators are used to keep specimen and samples at a desirable temperature usually at 37 C, and they are often operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It was found that some incubators were empty during the time of visits and a number of them were also less than half empty. Some buildings have common rooms where larger lab equipment such as incubators and fridges are stored and shared among different labs in the same building. Sharing incubators among labs could possibly save energy. Table 8 shows the power consumption values of common incubators found on UBC campus.

28 Table 7: Power Consumption of Incubators Manufacturers Model Capacity (L) Nameplate Power Rating (W) kwh/week kwh/week/l * 1 * 1 BLUE M 100A BOEKEL Kendro HERAcell Labline Labline NuAire NU NuAire NU-S Precision 4EG Precision 4EG Precision MDL 6DG Sanyo MIR Thermo Forma Thermo Scientific Steri-Cult VWR * * 1 Assume incubators are on 168 hours/week Operating Cost ($/week) * 1 Remarks Measured by wattmeter Measured by wattmeter Measured by wattmeter Measured by wattmeter * 2 Source:

29 5.6 Ovens Oven usage time of different labs varies from a few hours a week to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The average usage time was found to be 100 hours a week. Figure 9 shows a cyclic pattern of power consumption of an oven which was tested. Power consumption of ovens is listed in Table 8 in the following page. Figure 9: Measurement of Power Consumption of an Oven

30 Table 8: Power Consumption of Ovens Manufacturers Model Capacity (L) Nameplate Power Rating (W) kwh/week * 1 kwh/week/l * 1 Operating Cost ($/week) * 1 Remarks Fishers 500 series * Fishers 500 series Measured by wattmeter Fishers Precision 18EG Precision 18EG Precision Thelco, catalog# Precision Vacuum Model * VWR 1350GM * * 1 Assume ovens are used 100 hours/week Measured by wattmeter Start up power: 631W; Running power: 238W * 2 Source: crossrefdata=null&catlogid=-1&catcode= * 3 Sources: * 4 Source:

31 5.7 Refrigerators Energy saving tips for refrigerators and freezers are similar. EnerGuide Appliance Directory is released by Natural Resource Canada annually. It provides ratings which are based on tests that imitate actual appliance use; so it is recommended to utilize the information given in this Directory as a guideline to purchase new refrigerators. Power consumption of the refrigerators can be found in Table 9.

32 Table 9: Power Consumption of Refrigerators Manufacturers Model Nameplate Operating Capacity kwh/year/l Power Rating (L) * 1 Cost (kwh/year) ($/week) * 1 Remarks Danby D740 WTGE Danby D9600WY Danby DMR 1706WE Danby DMR 1706WE Diplomat C Frigidaire FRU17B2JW Measured by wattmeter GoldStar GR-151SP Kenmore 4921*70* Top freezer, Bottom fridge; Autodefrost LG GR-389R Top fridge, Bottom freezer; MAYTAG MSB2154GR* 611* Autodefrost Side by side freezer and fridge; Autodefrost MAYTAG PSB2151GR 603* Wood WR17-*W/E Wood WR17-*W/E Measured by wattmeter Woods WR17-ZW/E Wood's R17WCA * 1 Assume refrigerators are on 168 hours/week * 2 EnerGuide Directory 2006, Natural Resources Canada

33 5.8 Shakers Shakers are usually incubated or refrigerated. Compared to the shakers which do not have any temperature control, these incubated and refrigerated shakers consume more energy. Of the four shakers in which energy consumptions were measured, three of them are switched on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Two of the shakers which are on all the time were actually empty during the time of visits. It could be convenient to keep the shakers on all the time so they are always ready to use. However, if shakers are not used on a daily basis, lab users might consider switching on the units an hour earlier to warm up or cool down the temperature. For shakers which are used daily, they should still be switched off at the end of the day. If a lab is operated 12 hours every day, simply by switching off the shakers at the end of the day could already save up to 50% of energy. For the purpose of this study, it was assumed that shakers are used 100 hours/week, which is about the averaged value of the actual usage time. Instead of kwh/week/m 3, kwh/week/m 2 was used for comparative purpose. A list of energy consumption of shakers is illustrated in Table 11. It is important to note that some of the power rating provided by the manufacturers are in VA units, which is usually higher than the power rating in W.

34 Table 10: Power Consumption of Shakers Manufacturers Model Platform Area (m 2 ) Nameplate Power Rating (W) kwh/week kwh/week/m 2 * 1 * 1 Lab-Line Lab-Line Lab-Line Lab-Line Max Q SHKE Max Q SHKE Max Q SHKA New Brunswick Classic CI VA New Brunswick EXCELLA E * New Brunswick G New Brunswick Innova VA New Brunswick Innova VA New Brunswick CLASSIC C VWR VWR * 1 Assume shakers are used 100 hours/week. Operating Cost ($/week) * 1 Remarks * 2 Nameplate power rating is 1500VA, online specifications power rating is 800W. Measured by wattmeter Measured by wattmeter Measured by wattmeter Measured by wattmeter

35 6.0 Conclusion Some of the most common laboratory equipment including autoclaves, biosafety cabinets, centrifuges, freezers, incubators, ovens, refrigerators and shakers were investigated in this study. Average weekly power consumption, capacities and weekly cost of operation were analyzed. Through our research of the common laboratory equipment, it was discovered that laboratory personnel and users are mostly aware of the importance of energy saving. Nonetheless, they are often restricted by the cost and the functional requirement while purchasing laboratory equipment. However, lab personnel could still operate in an energy efficient practice by, for instance, simply switching off the lab equipment and defrosting the freezers once the ice reaches 5mm thick. To conclude, lab users are still playing important roles in energy saving. There are many energy saving recommendations and guidelines which lab users can consider and practice. If more lab users take the initiative and carry out the suggested energy saving practices continually, there will be a more green campus and carbon neutral can be achieved.