The “Shut the Sash” fume hood campaign is an awareness project that seeks to educate lab technicians, researchers, students, faculty, and staff about the importance of closing the sash on fume hoods when they are not in use to realize substantial energy savings. The project just started this semester with Tan and Birge halls. The campaign is a collaborative effort between Green Campus, Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S), the Chemistry Department, and the Physics Department.

Campaign Details:

FALL CAMPAIGN:

SPRING CAMPAIGN:

The campaign includes placing stickers on 108 fume hoods in Tan and Birge halls. A competition will be held between each floor in Tan and Birge with fume hoods to see which floor can reduce the opening of their fume hood the most.

Potential Energy Savings in Tan Hall:
- Each fume hood can reduce it’s energy usage by about 11%
- There can be savings of $914 per year for each individual fume hood.
- The total cost savings potential for Tan hall is $95,970 per year.
Get involved with this project. Project contact: Berkeleygreencampus@gmail.com

A fume hood is a device resembling a glass enclosure used in laboratories in which researchers conduct their experiments. They serve to protect the experimenter from inhaling toxic fumes that could result from the chemicals involved in the reaction. An exhaust fan pulls the air into the hood and away from the experimenter�s face; it then releases these chemicals outside in a less concentrated amount. However, when these hoods are not in use, a sash can be pulled down to close off the circulation of airflow through the hood. This reduces the use of energy as the exhaust fans do not have to continue to pull this air motion, allowing for enormous energy savings.

Publicity