Motion and Sash Height (MASH) alarms for efficient fume hood use.

ABSTRACT: Ventilation, including fume hoods, consumes 40-70% of the total energy used by modern laboratories. Energy-conscious fume hood usage-for example, closing the sash when a hood is unused-can significantly reduce energy expenditures due to ventilation. Prior approaches to promote such behaviors among lab users have primarily relied on passive feedback methods. In this work, we developed a low-cost fume hood monitoring device with active feedback to alert lab users when a fume hood is left open and unused. Using data collected by the building management system, we observed a 75.6% decrease in the average sash height after installation of these "Motion and Sash Height" (MASH) alarms, which would result in a reduction roughly equal to 43% of the annual carbon emissions of a typical American vehi

SUBMITTER: Kongoletos J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8560830 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature