Real lab efficiency vs.pipe dreams

All too often doing the right thing is unrealistic.Cutting down on wasted energy, wasted time or wasted water would be great, but when it requires a brand new laboratory or a full redesign of your lab space, obtaining the resources to get it done can seem like a Herculean task.

Refreshingly, this article by Jessica Burdg gives you several smaller, more feasible projects that you can undertake to make your lab less costly and more productive.Some of these suggestions can save hours of wasted time so you can get on to more profitable projects.Others can cut down on your lab's overhead by reducing energy consumption.

Did you realize that using the wrong kind of biosafety cabinet, for instance, can turn an otherwise innocuous procedure into a major drain on the lab's energy bill?Or that washing pipettes with certain popular types of equipment uses 50 times more water than necessary?

Today's laboratories are hotbedsof innovation, harborersof cutting-edge research andhomes of state-of-the-art scientificequipment.They also use a staggeringamount of energy in the process,consuming up to five times moreenergy per square foot than officebuildings.The water usage statisticsshow a similar trend, as labs inuniversity settings in particular oftenboast some of the highest waterconsumption figures on campus.What is the root of this struggle?

With a host of strict ventilationrequirements, constantly runningequipment and no shortage of applicationsthat require water, it's easyto see why maximizing efficiency inlabs has become a priority.Some sustainability-focusedorganizations, including the U.S.Green Building Council, are promotingchange in how buildings likelaboratories are constructed, offeringincentivized green building certificationprograms such as Leadershipin Energy and Environmental Design(LEED).LEED rankings include...

Read the entire article,"Three Ways to Make Your Lab More Efficient" by Jessica Burdgin Laboratory Equipment's Digital Outlook Magazine for more details.