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Temperature Tuning

Temperature Tuning

Simply being mindful of sample storage conditions can have a huge impact on energy use in the lab. One ultra-low temperature freezer can consume as much energy as a single-family home every day, so anything you can do in this category will help to significantly reduce energy consumption.

Earn points per refrigeration unit for each of the following actions: 

Adjusting ULT Set Points

Ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers set to -70°C instead of -80°C use up to 40% less energy. Before making such an adjustment check to make sure your samples can be safely stored at this temperature.

  • A list of samples that have been stored successfully at -70°C can be found here.
  • Publications that have addressed this topic can be downloaded here and here

For the challenge, your lab will receive 1 point for every ULT freezer set to -70°C or warmer.

Storage at Appropriate Temperatures

Many reagents and samples do not require storage at ULT temperatures. For example, consider storing DNA in a standard -20°C freezer – these freezers consume 80% less energy than ULT freezers.

Your lab will be awarded points for the number of refrigeration units that have been checked for samples that can be moved AND for the number of samples that were moved to a warmer unit.