Shut the Sash!

They say it takes 21 days to build a healthy habit. We’re giving it a month!

Boston Children’s Hospital is taking steps to build healthy habits… and we’re not just talking about eating healthy or exercising. Fume hoods are the #1 energy using units in labs - using as much energy as 3.5 houses a day!

The “Just Shut It” campaign, 2024, encompasses a fun competition between labs across the research enterprise to hopefully build a heathy habit of shutting the sash anytime you are not using the Fume Hood, as well as incorporating keeping the lab doors shut as to not draw in outside air into the labs.

Here is some background:

-Closing sashes on variable air volume (VAV) fume hoods is known to benefit energy savings and lab member safety

-Having sashes raised too high can impact air capture efficiency, and potentially harm researcher’s health

-On average, 49% to 65% of the hoods are open over a two-week period. Many researchers do not know the importance of closing the sash, not only for energy savings with VAV systems, but also for safety

-There have been ongoing issues with scientists propping lab doors open in BCH Research Lab Suites

-This can affect ventilation performance in the building and even the positive impact of a fume hood sash contest

-Safety concern because the air pressure cascade that must be maintained between spaces in the building

-there must be a pressure differential so that air from labs must not travel back to hallways

We are about to tally the results soon…

Let’s see who out Green Champion will be! We will post the results and the winner here in August 2024

It’s a simple and effective measure to save energy is to shut your sash every day! Feel free to print out the below flyer and stick in on your hood as a friendly reminder :)

For more information: https://green.harvard.edu/programs/green-labs/shut-sash-program