Home > IEQ Matters Archive > August 2008




RCx: The prescription for high-performance laboratories

Safety, comfort, energy efficiency and reliability - these are the benefits you expect from your laboratory airflow control system. But laboratories are dynamic environments, and any changes to your facility, equipment or work patterns may also change the airflow and overall indoor air quality in your lab. That's why so many of our clients request periodic RCx Laboratory Recommissioning from Ingenuity IEQ - to keep their airflow control systems performing at top efficiency, for occupant safety and reduced energy costs.

A complete physical for your workspace

Periodic re-commissioning is the best way to protect your investment in airflow controls and maintain design-engineered specifications. Our detailed RCx analysis provides complete system inspection and testing, including re-commissioning and verification of all lab and fume hood control components, and associated lab control systems. We also test airflows and room pressurization under multiple scenarios, with fume hoods open and closed under full heating and cooling conditions, to assure maximum system performance under the most extreme conditions.

Our results are documented in a comprehensive report that provides detailed recommendations on ways you can potentially improve performance, safety and comfort; reduce sound levels; and minimize energy use. Performance information is documented in a format that can be provided to safety officers, internal departments and government agencies.

An annual RCx from Ingenuity IEQ helps you:

  • Maintain the highest levels of laboratory safety
  • Update documentation to reflect any reconfiguration of facility or systems
  • Reduce overall operating costs through routine care
  • Identify potential problems and solutions
  • Recommend preventative actions
  • Provide investment protection and prolong system life
  • Achieve up to 15 to 20 percent savings in energy costs for a quick ROI



Improve your IEQ and enhance your ROI

Ingenuity IEQ provides a wide variety of indoor environmental quality solutions for laboratories and other critical performance facilities. We can also help facilities owners and managers achieve Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEEDTM)† credits for new and retrofit construction. To find out more about RCx Laboratory Re-commissioning or learn about other Ingenuity IEQ solutions, visit us at www.ingenuityieq.com or call us at 1-800-669-9726.

†LEEDTM is a trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

Making a Difference

An even greener campus

Michigan State University is recognized as one of the top 100 universities in the world and is known for its global reach. University leaders are well aware of MSU's leadership role and have adopted the Be Spartan Green program to promote a better world through environmental stewardship. MSU is acting on its Be Spartan Green commitment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding its campus-wide recycling program, following green standards for new buildings, conducting environmental research projects that span the globe, and supporting eco-focused student activities. As the campus grows, buildings are being designed and updated to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDTM) standards for new construction.

The Be Spartan Green initiative included a pilot project conducted in the new 39,000-square-foot oncology wing of the university's veterinary medical center. The pilot study uncovered 104 deficiencies in the building, including a continuously running exhaust system and the unnecessary use of fan-powered boxes, according to Lynda Boomer, energy and environmental engineer at MSU. System changes and improvements resulted in energy savings of about $15,000 per year - about 38 cents per square foot - and increased the comfort level of building occupants by reducing noise levels and stabilizing the indoor climate, she said. As a result of the pilot study, a campus Commissioning Team was developed to identify other campus buildings that could achieve energy savings through commissioning, re-commissioning or retro-commissioning. The in-house commissioning team, which consists of a supervisor and two full-time technicians, as well as student assistants, is continuing to examine buildings in hope of discovering and eliminating energy and safety inefficiencies.

"We hope to improve energy efficiency by five percent overall," Boomer said. "We estimate that when we complete the five-year project, we'll see a savings of $1 million every year." MSU's in-house team will conduct most of the re-commissioning at 112 major buildings on campus, with Ingenuity IEQ lending support for laboratory projects where an extensive knowledge of the Phoenix Controls airflow control systems used in MSU labs, and experience with the comprehensive RCx process, will allow for more thorough evaluation and optimization.

Ingenuity IEQ will also install an OptiNetTM Monitoring System in the Food Science building, the first system of its kind to be used at MSU. The OptiNet System supports the Be Spartan Green initiative by continually measuring the most important aspects of indoor air quality and communicating this information to the building management system, optimizing energy efficiency. Boomer anticipates the system will pay for itself through energy savings in less than two years.

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