The International Laboratory Freezer Challenge, a global competition that promotes energy efficiency and best practices in laboratory cold storage, is now underway at the University of Michigan and runs through June 30.

Open to all U-M laboratories with cold-storage units, the challenge encourages research teams to reduce energy use and emissions by adopting simple, practical actions — such as optimizing freezer temperature settings, performing routine maintenance and defrosts, consolidating samples, and retiring or replacing outdated, energy-intensive equipment.

Ultra-low temperature laboratory freezers can consume as much energy in a year as a typical residential home. With thousands of freezers across campus, cold storage represents a significant opportunity for both energy savings and improved research efficiency.

While the Freezer Challenge is international, U-M also hosts a friendly intra-university competition, supported by the Office of Campus Sustainability. Participating labs receive personalized, U-M-specific support, access to resources like freezer-maintenance kits and best practices guidance, and the chance to earn recognition and prizes, including $250 in sustainability-related grant funding for top performers in the Medical School, School of Public Health, and LSA.

This year, the OCS is piloting a new Freezer Challenge Support Day to provide hands-on assistance for participating labs on the Medical Campus. On Jan. 27, labs in the Medical Campus complex can sign up for 30-minute appointment slots during which an OCS team member will visit the lab to help complete the challenge score sheet and identify next steps.

In last year’s challenge, U-M labs took action on 568 freezers, leading to 273,000 kilowatt-hours of annual electricity savings, about 64 metric tons of carbon avoided and roughly $30,000 in cost savings — equivalent to powering dozens of average homes for a year.

“U-M is one of the largest public research universities in North America, and the Freezer Challenge empowers our labs to make our research more environmentally friendly, resilient and efficient while creating an impact that can be recognized alongside peer institutions around the world,” said Jack Gosselin, regional energy manager in the Office of Campus Sustainability. 

Winners in the U-M competition include:

• Michigan Medicine (including the Medical School): Wicha and Burness Labs, hematology/oncology.
• LSA: Keane Lab, chemistry.
• School of Public Health: Michigan Center for Respiratory Virus Research & Response, epidemiology U-M sustainability.

These successes reflect not only energy savings, but more organized, accessible and cost-efficient sample management in research spaces.

For many participants, the challenge offers benefits that go beyond energy savings. Improving freezer inventories and conducting regular cleanouts also supports laboratory safety by ensuring samples are clearly labeled, documented and up to date. Maintaining accurate records helps reduce the risk associated with unidentified or outdated samples, while supporting Environmental Health & Safety best practices and protecting researchers and facilities. A properly inventoried freezer also reduces risks of accidental hazardous spills and contamination.

“The Freezer Challenge has been less of a challenge and more of an opportunity,” said Bradley Godfrey, lab manager for the Michigan Kidney Translational Medicine Center Lab. “Organizing and reducing samples and replacing outdated freezers has encouraged our group to take action on our energy consumption, while streamlining our large sample collection saves time in the future.”

Participation in the Freezer Challenge also gives labs a chance to learn proper cold-storage maintenance techniques that can help avoid future equipment failures, free up valuable space for new samples, and reduce long-term energy and equipment costs.

“Participating in the 2025 Freezer Challenge was a great opportunity to improve our lab’s energy efficiency while supporting sustainability across Michigan Medicine,” said Cody Hager of the Wicha and Burness Labs, last year’s Medical School winners. “It encouraged us to be more mindful of how small changes in daily lab practices can make a big environmental impact. We’re proud to help lead the way in responsible research practices.”

The Freezer Challenge aligns with U-M’s broader sustainability and carbon-reduction goals and reflects the university’s campus-as-lab approach, where operational systems become opportunities for learning, innovation, and real-world impact.

Labs can join the challenge at any time during the competition and count actions they’ve taken since the previous year’s challenge ended, making it easy to participate even if a team signs up later in the cycle.