IHA led the modernization of the National Ice Core Laboratory. IHA's work included new and redundant mechanical systems, refrigerant evaluation, replacement of the fire suppression system with an environmentally friendly gas system, replacement of the underperforming sodium halide lights with LED lights, structural evaluation of a failing floor.

This project was not required to be a LEED project. But we did apply the principals of Responsible Design to the extent feasible in this type of project. The Task Order asked that we evaluate the replacement of the sodium halide lights with LED lights in order to reduce the cooling load on the evaporative cooler. Our analysis showed that the lights did not have a significant impact on the cooling load since the evaporative coolers run in two-ton measurements. The impact of the lights was much less than two tons of cooling. Where we did get substantial savings was through an entirely different avenue. Through interviews with the scientists, we found out that for safety reasons they left the lights on all the time. It takes 15 &endash; 20 minutes to get the old lights to go on. With the installation of the LED lights, they could be turned on and off instantly. As a result, we were able to show that the installation of the LED lights would pay for itself in only 4.4 years. This is an example of what we mean by Responsible Design; going beyond the obvious to find energy savings and improve the working environment of a laboratory facility for the scientists.