The UBC Green Labs program is proud to announce the results of the 2024 Freezer Challenge!
From January to July 2024, UBC researchers on Vancouver and Okanagan campuses took part in the International Laboratory Freezer Challenge, a campaign promoting best practices in laboratory cold storage management - including laboratory fridges, freezers, and cold rooms. The teams worked to achieve greater sample integrity, risk prevention, energy efficiency, and cost savings in their labs.
Laboratories are some of UBC’s most energy intensive spaces, and cold storage can be a particularly energy intensive type of equipment in labs – especially ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers! Cold storage is a type of lab equipment where how the units are used and maintained can significantly impact overall energy consumption. Over the challenge, participants took steps to defrost and de-ice freezers, clean coils and filters, create or update sample inventories, discard outdated samples, 'Chill Up' ULT freezers, and much more.
Combined, their efforts have led to an estimated $11,188 total annual energy savings from the challenge. That's the equivalent of retiring 738 standard chest freezers, and emission reductions of 1,825 kg CO2-equivalent! A special thank you to all UBC's participating labs, and a big congratulations to UBC's winning labs!
CATEGORY 1: Highest kWh savings overall
| Lab | Savings/year ($) | Savings/year (kWh) | |
| 1. | UBC BioBank | $3,665.07 | 51994.25 |
| 2. | BRAES Labs | $2,975.54 | 42212.25 |
| 3. | Foster Lab | $2,397.93 | 34018 |
CATEGORY 2: Most actions taken per cold storage unit
| Lab | Savings/year ($) | Actions taken/unit | |
| 1. | UBCO Hazardous Waste Collection Areas | $818.18 | 7.3 |
| 2. | Keeling Lab | $378.21 | 3.7 |
| 3. | Rieseberg Lab | $901.80 | 3.2 |
Thank you again to everyone who participated in or supported the challenge this year! Stay tuned for the next one, launching January 2025.