How Energy and Water Conservation Relates to Efficient Use of Research Dollars
Utility costs attributed to sponsor funded research are included in the facilities portion of the Indirect Cost Recovery (ICR), or Facilities and Administration (F&A), rate determination for a university. Currently, the federal government does not provide a mechanism by which the ICR (F&A) process could incentivize energy and water efficiency considerations in buildings where sponsor funded research is taking place, nor does the federal government or other sponsors (in most cases) encourage the selection of energy or water efficient equipment/processes during the grant application process for direct costs. The BETR Grants effort would like to see those connections made in both the ICR (F&A) rate process and grant application process for direct costs. Tools and resources are available to help make those connections.
Laboratories are among the most resource-intense (energy/water/materials) spaces on university campuses. Universities report that they do not receive sufficient funding to cover the indirect costs associated with sponsor funded research; therefore, lower utility costs could result in financial savings to universities while also contributing significantly to campus energy and water conservation goals. For example, fume hoods are very energy-consumptive because they are part of the whole building ventilation infrastructure, one of the most energy-intense aspects of laboratories. Therefore, efficient use of fume hood assets and implementation of energy-saving modifications or updates based on an evaluation of laboratory ventilation and scientific need would greatly reduce the high costs associated with fume hoods in a laboratory building.
A reduction in costs associated with utility use in research buildings with sponsor funded research will help keep overhead costs down and thus help avoid ICR (F&A) rates from being higher than necessary and help keep funding in the sponsor budgets focused on the direct costs of research as much as possible.
Laboratories are among the most resource-intense (energy/water/materials) spaces on university campuses. Universities report that they do not receive sufficient funding to cover the indirect costs associated with sponsor funded research; therefore, lower utility costs could result in financial savings to universities while also contributing significantly to campus energy and water conservation goals. For example, fume hoods are very energy-consumptive because they are part of the whole building ventilation infrastructure, one of the most energy-intense aspects of laboratories. Therefore, efficient use of fume hood assets and implementation of energy-saving modifications or updates based on an evaluation of laboratory ventilation and scientific need would greatly reduce the high costs associated with fume hoods in a laboratory building.
A reduction in costs associated with utility use in research buildings with sponsor funded research will help keep overhead costs down and thus help avoid ICR (F&A) rates from being higher than necessary and help keep funding in the sponsor budgets focused on the direct costs of research as much as possible.