Is Your Laboratory on the Path to LEED Certification? Learn How Your Steam Sterilizers Can Make a Difference.

Laboratories are notorious for energy consumption. As a rule of thumb, a lab consumes roughly 5-10 times more energy per square foot than an average office building. That’s why it’s vital for a laboratory to implement eco friendly equipment, such as water savings systems for steam sterilizers.

Equipment that uses steam or water such as autoclaves, glassware or cage washers, water purification systems, steam generators or vacuum pumps should be examined for any potential opportunities. For example, equipment that uses water for cooling can be especially wasteful as traditional cooling methods use “once through water.” In this arrangement, fresh cold potable water is used to absorb a heat load and then the warm water is discharged to drain.

Another problem with this process, in addition to being wasteful, is that it fails to meet important building codes that prohibit the use of once through cooling water in certain applications. For instance, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) has stringent sewer use regulations that prohibit the discharge of once-through cooling water to the MWRA sewer system.

In response, many laboratory equipment manufacturers have incorporated water savings features into their core products. At Consolidated Sterilizer Systems we offer a series of smart options to help our clients drastically reduce the water consumed by an autoclave. And while most modern steam sterilizers utilize a large amount of water in order to reduce the discharge temperature to drain and comply with local building codes, there are products that can help drastically reduce this impact. One example is the WaterEco Series, a water savings system for steam sterilizers.

In addition to implementing green products throughout a laboratory setting, following Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards can also prove invaluable. Created by the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC), the LEED rating system continues to have a tremendous impact on raising environmental awareness. Not only has it helped raise awareness to the cause of resource conservation, but it has also sparked a dialogue between a building’s occupants, owners and designers regarding conservation efforts.

Whether you’re considering going green within your laboratory setting or you’re in the middle of designing a new research lab altogether, achieving LEED standards should be at the top of your list.

What’s the incentive for achieving LEED certification? These eco-friendly elements can help lower operating costs, increase asset value, and conserve energy, water and other resources. It can also lead to a healthier and safer work environment for building occupants. Achieving LEED certification can also lead toward budget saving incentives, such as tax rebates. Local governments take notice of environmentally conscience projects and have begun to give tax breaks or other incentives for buildings or projects that achieve LEED certification or can otherwise show that the design is environmentally conscience.

Consolidated Sterilizer Systems is dedicated to helping architects, building designers, and lab planners construct the greenest buildings possible by targeting a variety of LEED credits. We can help you generate LEED points through four major areas:

1. Water Efficiency
2. Materials and Resources
3. Energy and Atmosphere
4. Innovation in Design.

Here are the specific LEED credit descriptions that CSS can help you achieve.

To learn more about CSS’ contributions toward LEED credits, download our sustainability brochure. To learn how to reduce the water usage of your lab’s steam sterilizers, contact us today.