Fume Hood Usage

• Close hood sash when is not in use
  • Fume hoods use high power fans to pull air through the hood, leading to a substantial electric load.
  • Most fume hoods are equipped with variable speed controllers the serve to maintain air flow at optimal flow rates when the hood sash is in the operating position.
    • Upon closing the hood sash, the controller senses the reduction in flow and scales back the fan speed to help minimize air flow and as a result energy consumption.
• Did you know:
  • An average fume hood exhausts 850 cubic feet of conditioned room air each minute.
    • In a single year, the energy lost up the stack has the potential to be upwards of 266,000,000 BTUs.
  • 75,000 fume hoods in the US cost upwards of $3 billion/year to run (Woolliams et al., 2005)