Laboratory Sub-metering and Benchmarking Working Group


Industry Lead: Schneider Electric Inc.

Coordinated by: I2SL

Learn about the activities of this working group

Providing best-in-class, safe, efficient, and effective operations in the laboratory requires using real-time information about the laboratory’s performance. It is believed that the availability and use of real-time information can dramatically improve the daily management of laboratories, invoke positive changes in staff behavior, and lead to the development of advanced automation of the laboratory environment and equipment. Embracing real-time information derived from advanced metering and sub-metering is one way to achieve these outcomes.

I2SL, with industry lead Schneider Electric, Inc., is coordinating the Laboratory Sub-metering and Benchmarking Working Group of industry professionals, technology providers, laboratory managers, and organizations to explore technologies and best practices for laboratory metering and sub-metering. This collection of industry experts will build upon the previous Labs21 efforts that resulted in the development of the Labs21 Energy Benchmarking Tool, which identified the major energy-consuming operations of a laboratory. 

 

Working Group Projects

Working group members are committed to:

  • Developing a strategy with various approaches to laboratory sub-metering, including advantages, disadvantages, costs, saving opportunities, performance, carbon emissions reporting, and the inter-relationship of these elements to the Labs21 Energy Benchmarking Tool.
  • Reviewing current metering technologies and systems and communications and human interface systems.
  • Identifying research needs and product development that could support the sub-metering and benchmarking strategy.

 

Get Involved

The working group consists of and invites experts in laboratory design and engineering, consulting, environmental controls and power management, environmental health and safety, manufacturing, facility management, operations and ownership. Members are encouraged to contribute their technical expertise, facility information, and experiences.

If you would like to join the Laboratory Sub-metering and Benchmarking Working Group, contact I2SL.

 

Working Group Activities

  • I2SL is working with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Schneider Electric, Siemens, and other organizations to plan a half-day symposium on sub-metering at the Labs21 2010 Annual Conference.
  • The Sub-metering and Benchmarking Working Group met via conference call on December 3, 2009. The group is working to build a framework that will help organizations understand the need for or justify installation of meters and sub-meters for their facilities. The group would like to develop guidance that describes a process facility managers can follow to arrive at a metering plan for their particular facility. The group is going to draft a metering priority grid, which will be presented for comment during the next conference call. The group is also going to explore case studies of metered facilities to learn what meters were installed, how the information obtained from the meters was used, and the inefficiencies metering helped identify.

 

 

Back to Partnerships