Did you know your freezer consumes a large fragment of your energy and resources?

Lab freezers are usually the highest energy consumers in most Biological labs. Aging freezers consume as much as 3% more energy every consecutive year which can add up to $1,500 USD annually in energy bills.

What can you do to reduce this energy drain?

Here are some tips and tricks on how you can keep your energy bills low and your ULT Freezer in good shape. Protect your precious time-sensitive samples before it is too late.

If you are starting off a new lab, or expanding your lab, a subsidized and energy efficient freezer is a good start. One Ultra-Low Temperature freezer, alone, can use as much energy as an average household per day!

Over time, ice can build up in freezers, taking up storage space and causing the freezer to overwork. Having regularly scheduled de-frostings coupled with mechanical maintenance can ensure your freezer is operating efficiently.

An overly frosted freezer can reduce a lot of space and double your energy consumption.

Schedule regular mechanical maintenance to spot and address possible future problems before they happen. A quick check-up can keep repair costs low.

Freeze-thaw cycles damage biological products - even small damages to DNA can mean critical differences in your experiments. This holds true for proteins as well. Make smaller aliquots of the samples to avoid frequent thaw cycles.

Having a securable door and temperature monitoring system helps to avoid temperature leakages. Older freezers don’t normally come fully equipped, requiring additional components from the manufacturer and additional costs. On the other hand, most new freezers already come equipped with effective door sealing systems.

As freezers age, components tend to become noisier and louder. No one wants to work in a noisy lab. Ensure your new freezer is engineered for reduced noise levels and a more pleasant lab environment!

As freezers age, components tend to become noisier and louder. No one wants to work in a noisy lab. Ensure your new freezer is engineered for reduced noise levels and a more pleasant lab environment!

Touch screen monitors make it easy to read system info, secure and limit access, and monitor and retrieve system information.

Having alarm systems with an automatic messaging or notification system is critical. Receive notifications immediately if doors are not closed, or the freezer is malfunctioning so you can address the issue before your samples become compromised.

Ensure adequate ventilation around your freezer to ensure your freezer does not have to overwork to keep itself cool. As they my get hot during normal operations, freezers can also create heat traps in your lab, which could further burden your building’s temperature control system.

Have a voltage monitoring device in place to monitor and avoid fluctuations in the current and to safeguard the appliance. Talk to your manufacturer to ensure you use suggested devices only.

Voltage monitors or stabilizers help reduce the risk of appliance failure. Older freezers need additional device but some newer ones come inbuilt with them.

Make sure that the door is not open for too long as the freezer will need to work harder to return temperatures to the colder setting. Ensure your samples are labeled and arranged in proper racks so that they are easy to reach. This will reduce the time needed to search for samples and reduce door open time.

Arranging samples in batches makes it more easy for retrieval. Many manufacturers offer additional freezer racks upon request.

If you reach out to your freezer frequently, it may make sense to to arrange less frequently used samples deeper and more frequently used ones on the front.

Freezers sometimes have stored samples from previous colleagues or samples from old research. Consider cleaning out your freezer regularly to save space and keep your freezer running at optimal efficiency.

ULT freezers offer the best solution for storing temperature sensitive samples. Don’t put your samples at risk by using freezers that do not have the temperature range you require.

abm's new, affordable, energy-efficient -80°C ULT Lab Freezer is now available for $9,500 USD.