University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's
(UNC-CH) Sustainability Office is working to develop a systematic
process for achieving at least a 20 percent reduction across the
UNC-CH campus. In developing this process, UCN-CH is seeking funding
to retrofit its Fordham Laboratory as a case study on energy use
reduction. Built in 1991, this nearly 67,000 square-foot facility
is home to laboratories carrying out biological and genomic studies.
UNC-CH is considering various measures to reduce energy use in
Fordham and the other laboratory facilities on campus, including:
- Installing setback switches, occupancy sensors, and/or indicator
lights on individual fume hoods.
- Replacing the existing pneumatic control system with a direct
digital control system.
- Evaluating the leakage rate of current ductwork and sealing
it if necessary.
- Working with environmental health and safety personnel to reduce
the standard air change rate.
UNC-CH is also carrying out research into the operation of its
laboratories, focusing on occupant behavior. The research will hopefully
provide clues to implementing a behavioral approach to reducing
facility energy use that will compliment the energy conservation
measures taken throughout the facility's engineered systems.
Labs21 is providing technical assistance to UNC-CH throughout the
Fordham case study and development of a campus-wide energy management
plan. The Labs21 Toolkit, particularly the Labs21 Design Guide,
is also proving useful as UNC-CH personnel work to improve the environmental
performance of all the laboratories on campus. For more information
on sustainability at UNC-CH, visit the university's Sustainability
Office Web site.
The University of North Carolina (UNC) was founded at Chapel Hill
in 1795. With only two professors at that time, it became the first
state university in the United States to opens its doors to students.
Now home to approximately 27,500 undergraduate and graduate students,
UNC offers academic programs in more than 100 fields, including
bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees as well as professional
degrees in dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and law. For more information,
please visit the UNC
Web site.
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