Category: Animal Facilities (mice)
Level: Bronze
Author: Millard R., Richards K., Waggott A., Wilson K.
The Impact: <p>Keeping cold‑storage items at the appropriate temperature reduces unnecessary cooling load, which in turn lowers energy consumption. Fridges and freezers are high energy using equipment and maintaining stable, efficient temperature settings directly reduces electricity use and associated carbon emissions.</p>
Details
ULT freezers should be set -70C, this can save 20-30% of the electricity when compared to -80C. An optional in between temperature can be -75C. Note that historically, ULT freezers operated at -70C for decades of foundational research.
Cold storage equipment should be operating at:
4C or warmer for refrigerators
-20C for freezers.
To reduce energy use while keeping items stored safely, regularly check that all fridges and freezers are set to the correct temperatures recommended for the materials they hold. Avoid setting units colder than necessary, as excessive cooling significantly increases energy consumption. Monitor temperature logs or automated alerts to ensure units are performing correctly and adjust settings as needed.
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