2019 NIH Freezer Challenge Results
Eight labs and one bio-repository volunteered to participate in the 2019 NIH Freezer Challenge to improve freezer management, increase freezer reliability, and reduce energy consumption. The challenge was held from January 1 to April 1 of 2019. Challenge initiatives ranged from maintenance options, like performing a freezer defrost, to laboratory best-management practices, like changing the temperature setting of Ultra-Low Temperature (ULT) freezers from -80°C to -70°C and discarding samples that are no longer needed. Simply changing the temperature setting of an Ultra-Low Temperature (ULT) freezer from -80°C to -70°C reduces energy consumption by about 20%. These results show the power each lab has to make a positive change towards protecting the environment and increasing freezer reliability. These savings are from only 9 labs; imagine what we could do if the entire NIH joined in! Participate in the 2020 Freezer Challenge to help out!
Participation by Lab and IC
| IC | Lab |
| NCI | Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis |
| NHGRI | Reproductive Cancer Genetics Section |
| NIA | Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (LCI) Clinical Core Biorepository |
| NIDCD | Section on Sensory Cell Development and Function, Kindt Lab |
| NIDDK | Genetics and Metabolism Section of LDB |
| NIDDK | Karen Usdin's Lab |
| NIDDK | Liver Disease Branch |
| NIEHS | MSRSG/ESCBL/DIR |
| NINDS | Viral Immunology Section at Division of Neuroimmunology and Neurovirology |
A summary of the energy savings, costs savings, and greenhouse gas reductions are shown in the table below.
2019 NIH Freezer Challenge Annual Savings
| Challenge Initiatives | Number of Freezer Initiatives completed: | Annual Savings (kWh/year) | Annual Savings ($/year) | GHG Reduction
(Metric Tons CO2/year) |
| Change the ULT freezer temperature setting to -70°C | 18 | 41,063 | $4,517 | 17 |
Conduct a complete ULT
freezer defrost -80°C | 19 | 43,344 | $4,768 | 18 |
| Conduct a complete freezer defrost -20°C | 7 | 3,194 | $351 | 1 |
| Freezers Retired | 3 | 27,375 | $3,011 | 11 |
| Total | 47 | 114,975 | $12,647 | 48 |
The following table shows the complete list of initiatives completed as part of this challenge.
Detailed Participation Results
| Challenge Initiative | Total |
| Conduct a complete freezer defrost | 26 |
| Discard samples that are no longer needed (-86°C) | 11,097 |
| Discard samples that are no longer needed (-30°C/-40°C) | 652 |
| Transfer long-term samples to LN2 freezers | 20,521 |
| Maintain an electronic sample inventory | 106 |
| Barcode Samples | 14 |
| Consolidate Samples | 1,003 |
| Share freezer space with other researchers | 91 |
| Retire unnecessary freezers | 3 |
| Change the ULT freezer temperature setting to -70°C | 18 |
| Store samples at appropriate temperatures | 16 |