by Shane Henson — May 17, 2013—Every space within a manufacturing or research facility can be evaluated to determine what can be done to conserve its energy use, including often-overlooked but energy-intensive cleanrooms. According to the British Standards Institution (BSI), which recently published guidance on helping organizations manage their cleanroom-related energy output, correct implementation of cleanrooms can typically contribute to 80 percent of a facility’s total energy bill.
BSI’s publication to help reduce this energy burden, BS 8568 Cleanroom Energy. Code of Practice for Improving Energy Efficiency in Cleanrooms and Clean Air Devices, sets out a clear guidance for cleanroom designers and managers on how to become more energy efficient. Implementing the standard means enhanced energy performance while saving money and reducing carbon emissions, says BSI.
BS 8568 provides a checklist of energy-saving opportunities and guidance on implementing each of them and goes much further in assisting this process than the ISO 14644 series of cleanrooms standards, BSI asserts. According to the organization, the main reasons for creating the standard were to:
- Address the global need to reduce energy usage
- Help the cleanrooms industry to meet its energy reduction targets
- Enable businesses to reduce energy-related costs
- Manage future growing energy costs
- Allow compliance with BS ISO 50001, the purely Energy Management Systems standard, which BSI says offers no practical guidance
