New Fume Hood Challenge to Foster Collaboration on Safety and Energy Efficiency

During its Annual Conference in Dallas, I2SL announced creation of a new International Fume Hood Challenge, which will bring together green labs professionals, researchers, facility managers, safety officers, manufacturers, and service providers to save energy and ensure the safe and effective operation of fume hoods. The Challenge will score labs on a variety of activities to ensure safe and efficient use of fume hoods, including sash closure, monitoring, proper operation, testing, and hibernation when not in use. Activities will also focus on the lab HVAC systems that support fume hoods to ensure effective operation.

Participants across the globe can join for free and will enter data about each of their participating lab buildings into the I2SL Lab Benchmarking Tool (LBT). Once the Challenge opens, participants can monitor their results in a dashboard in the LBT throughout the Challenge. I2SL will provide best practice guides on fume hood system testing, “shut the sash” competition ideas, and tips for success free to any Challenge participants.

By encouraging participation from public, private, and academic labs in the United States and internationally, the Challenge will:

• Promote safe and energy-efficient behaviors and improvements in the lab environment

• Encourage collaboration on lab efficiency among researchers, facility managers, safety staff, green labs professionals, manufacturers, and service providers

• Gather data and develop best practices on energy-saving technologies and behavior change initiatives for fume hoods and related lab systems

• Ensure better, safer fume hood operation in research facilities to enhance sustainable science, energy efficiency, and cost savings

I2SL hopes to open the Challenge in late 2026 or early 2027; Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) will begin working on various aspects of the program this fall, and I2SL is accepting volunteers to work on those groups: Program Structure (developing checklists and scoring questionnaires); Program Documentation (providing subject matter expertise on program materials and best practice guides); User Interface and LBT Integration (including the data to be input and beta testing the LBT interface); and Marketing and Promotion (helping recruit and recognize participants). To join a TAG, fill out an application form here.

Sponsors interested in supporting development of the challenge can contact Gordon Sharp at president@i2sl.org to learn more about sponsor levels and benefits.