A utility market transformation project studied energy use and identified energy efficiency opportunities in cleanroom HVAC design for 14 cleanrooms. This paper presents the results of this work and relevant observations. Cleanroom owners and operators know that cleanrooms are energy intensive but previously had little information to compare their cleanroom’s performance over time or to others. Direct comparison by traditional means, such as W/ft², is not an effective indicator with the wide range of industrial processes and cleanliness levels occurring in cleanrooms. In this project, metrics were developed to allow direct comparison of the efficiency of HVAC systems and components. Energy and flow measurements were taken to determine actual energy efficiency. The results confirm a wide variation in operating efficiency, and they identify other non-energy operating problems. Improvement opportunities were identified at each of the benchmarked facilities. Analysis of the best performing systems and components is provided, as are areas for future investigation.

Units: I-P