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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Laboratories for the 21st Century

Laboratories for the 21st Century (Labs21) is a voluntary partnership program dedicated to improving the environmental performance of U.S. laboratories. The program is a joint initiative between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

On average, U.S. laboratories use far more energy and water per square foot than office buildings and other facilities. This is due to the energy-intensive nature of laboratory activities as well as intensive ventilation and other requirements addressing health and safety.

The Labs21 guiding principle centers on a "whole building" approach. Adopting this approach allows laboratories to improve efficiency for the entire facility instead of focusing on specific laboratory components. The following resources and case studies expand upon this approach.

  • Agency Resources: Resources, applications, and tools designed to help Federal agencies optimize laboratory energy and environmental performance.

  • Best Practices Guides: Detailed guides covering best practices in laboratory energy and environmental management.

  • Case Studies: Federal laboratory energy and environmental projects exemplifying the Labs21 whole-building guiding principal.

Federal agencies seeking technical assistance should contact Will Lintner at 202-586-3120 or william.lintner@ee.doe.gov. Private sector organizations seeking technical assistance should contact the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories at http://www.i2sl.org.