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Saving Money Through Sustainable Procurement of Laboratory Equipment

Version 2.0, 25 March 2011

• Authors: Lisa Hopkinson and Peter James

• Developed by the S-Lab initiative of HEEPI (Higher Education for Environmental Performance Improvement)

• Website: www.goodcampus.org

1. Background

• Environmental Impacts of Laboratory Equipment:

  • High electricity consumption, approx. £30-40 million/year in UK universities (S-Lab research).

  • Significant water and consumable usage.

  • Waste creation from usage and disposal, sometimes requiring costly special disposal methods due to contamination.

  • Indirect impacts from floor space requirements and special building services needs (e.g., constant temperature/humidity).

  • Equipment production also carries substantial but often unquantifiable environmental impacts.

• Importance of Minimisation:

  • Essential for universities to meet carbon reduction targets.

  • Offers opportunities for financial savings.

2. Whole Life Costing (WLC)

• Many laboratory equipment items are used for years; thus, operating costs often exceed purchase price significantly.

• WLC/TCO Calculations allow for:

  • Quantifying and comparing costs for budget purposes.

  • Minimizing environmental impacts by highlighting the financial case for purchasing energy-efficient equipment, which may have higher upfront costs.

• An identified barrier:

  • Individuals purchasing equipment often aren’t responsible for energy/water costs, reducing motivation to choose options that minimize these.

• WLC must include:

  • Utilities (energy, water)

  • Maintenance (impacts energy consumption levels)

  • Costs of consumables and disposal

  • End-of-life disposal costs

• It's important to relate WLC data to output measures (e.g., annual kWh per litre storage for fridges).

3. Energy Consumption of Equipment

• Energy consumption is typically the most significant environmental impact of equipment and a key cost component.

• Variations in energy consumption exist due to:

  • Different power requirements of devices (e.g., -80°C freezers range from 7-70 kWh/day).

  • Operational patterns (e.g., continuous operation of freezers vs. periodic use of centrifuges).

• Standard data models like the US/EU Energy Star scheme can help manage energy efficiency by requiring vendors to provide power draw data in multiple states: active, idle/sleep, and off.

• Universities should require comprehensive power data from vendors for better estimations of Total Energy Consumption (TEC).

• Calculation examples and the importance of energy-saving features like automatic shut-off are highlighted.

4. Other Sustainability Criteria

• Additional purchasing considerations:

  • End of Life: Requirements and cost implications.

  • Water Conservation: Features for equipment that uses water continuously.

  • Environmental Actions of Suppliers: Evidence of eco design tools and environmental management systems, etc.

5. Holistic Solutions

• Energy consumption can be further reduced by considering equipment's operational context, leading to:

  • Inventory management strategies (discarding unnecessary samples).

  • Optimizing equipment use and purchase to minimize energy and space.

  • Case studies from institutions show potential benefits from examining the broader operational context.

6. Conclusions and Recommendations

• Higher education must enhance focus on sustainability in equipment purchasing.

• Choosing energy-efficient models could lead to substantial whole life cost savings.

• Increased vendor awareness about sustainability as a customer priority is necessary.

• Enhancing procurement agreements can facilitate sustainability goals.

7. Priority List for Sustainable Procurement

Appendix 1 & 2: Equipment Energy Consumption Tables

• Detailed tables provide estimated annual electricity consumption for various equipment at the universities alongside their respective average power usage and operational costs.

Appendix 3: Key Data for Equipment

• Classification of equipment based on energy consumption characteristics, categorized by LUPC and future procurement strategies to improve sustainability.