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Laboratory facilities represent an ever-expanding growth opportunity
for advanced, environmentally preferred, building technologies.
The typical laboratory uses far more energy and water per square
foot than the typical office building due to intensive ventilation
requirements and other health and safety concerns. Because the requirements
of laboratory facilities differ so dramatically from those of other
buildings, a clear need exists for an initiative exclusively targeting
these facilities.
With this in mind, EPA and DOE established the Labs21 Program.
It consists of three components:
The primary guiding principle of the Labs21 program is that improving
the energy efficiency and environmental performance of a laboratory
requires examining the entire facility from a "whole building"
perspective. Adopting this perspective allows laboratory owners
to improve the efficiency of the entire facility, rather than focusing
on specific laboratory components. As Labs21 participants understand,
improving the efficiency of individual components without examining
their relation to the entire system can eliminate opportunities
to make other more significant efficiency improvements.
If you have any questions about the Labs21 program, including how
to become involved, please contact
labs21@erg.com
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