Freezer Challenge

Is your lab’s refrigerator, freezer, or cold room in need of a makeover? Is the amount of frost build-up in your freezer giving you a fright? Is your lab ready to be more energy efficient? Join the International Laboratory Freezer Challenge!

• What is The International Laboratory Freezer Challenge?
  • The International Laboratory Freezer Challenge (The Freezer Challenge for short) is a competition in which scientists from around the world work to make their lab’s cold storage (refrigerators, freezers, and cold rooms) more efficient. The challenge is organized by My Green Lab and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL). Freezer Challenge participants can earn points by:
    • Practicing good cold storage management (such as defrosting lab freezers)
    • Temperature tuning (i.e., setting -80°C freezers to -70°C)
    • Retiring, upgrading, and unplugging cold storage units
    • Utilizing cutting edge practices
    • Creating freezer and sample inventories
• Why should my lab participate in The Freezer Challenge?
  • Participating in The Freezer Challenge can help improve cold storage energy efficiency, improve sample accessibility, prolong the life of your cold storage unit, reduce risk, and save money. Cold storage units are often the second biggest energy consumers in the lab (after fume hoods). Ultra-low temperature (ULT, -80°C) freezers in your lab can use around as much energy as an average U.S. household (Energy.gov), so properly maintaining cold storage units is a great way for your lab to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
• How can my lab sign up for The Freezer Challenge?
  • If you are interested in participating in The Freezer Challenge, fill out this form and someone from Green Labs will be in touch with you shortly.
• How can Green Labs help us?
  • Green Labs has a multitude of resources to help your lab. Green Labs has two ultra-low temperature (ULT, -80°C) freezers your lab can reserve to store samples while defrosting your own ULT freezer. Click here to see how your lab can reserve a Green Labs Freezer.
  • Green Labs also offers Freezer Defrost Kits that include items such as ice scrapers, spill pads, and containers to catch melt water. Click here (PDF) to see more information.
  • Check out our Lab Freezer Best Practices, Preventative Maintenance, and Defrost Guide (PDF).
• What can my lab receive for participating in The Freezer Challenge?
  • Each UT Austin lab that participates in The Freezer Challenge and scores at least 5 points will be entered into a drawing to win up to $500 to purchase lab supplies.
  • The Freezer Challenge organizers give plaques to winning organizations and certificates to individual lab winners. Winning labs will be recognized in an online publication and at the annual I2SL conference award ceremony.
• Questions?
  • Please email greenlabs@austin.utexas.edu with any questions