Background

Germany
Vaccine manufacturing facility

For this vaccine manufacturing facility in Germany, the HVAC systems were the biggest energy users on site. Annual consumption ran to around 7,047 MWh across 2,800 m² of cleanroom space, costing roughly €1.3 million a year to operate. As with most regulated GMP environments, air change rates and ventilation strategies had historically been set conservatively to ensure compliance and minimise perceived risk.

The site recognised that there was likely significant energy optimisation potential. However, any changes to ventilation strategy in Grade C and D cleanrooms had to be approached carefully, with no compromise to product quality, environmental control, or regulatory compliance. As microbial contamination is a major risk in sterile manufacturing, maintaining high compliance standards was critical.

EECO2 was brought in to run a structured optimisation programme across 11 Air Handling Units serving both GMP and support areas. The brief was to reduce energy, maintain compliance, and deliver robust data to guide investment decisions.

Methodology

Air Change Rate Review – Conducted a detailed analysis of 11 AHUs using EECO2’s proven methodology, including comprehensive risk assessments and compliance evaluations to align with GMP and operational requirements.

Energy Modelling – Developed detailed energy models through site data validation to accurately project energy savings and ROI projections to support decision-making for both ACRR and setback initiatives.

Setback Design Integration – Integrated dynamic setback schedules during non-production hours with VAV controls, pressure transmitters, and enhanced BMS capabilities. All ensuring optimal energy management with system stability and reliability.

Implementation & Qualification – Conducted a comprehensive commissioning and qualification process to ensure system performance and GMP compliance. Coordinated closely with stakeholders across engineering, quality, and operations to ensure seamless project delivery and regulatory alignment.

Results

Air Change Rates: EECO2 designed a 33% reduction of air changes, and the site team successfully achieved a 37% reduction.
Energy Savings: 1,005 MWh per year
Cost Savings: €205,000 per year

Non-viable particles results

The air change rates of all rooms have been reduced with no minimal impact on room non-viable counts when compared to the original scenario, as shown in the charts for Grade C rooms. All rooms operate within only 10% of the allowable class limit, which is typical of well-performing cleanrooms with effective gowning, cleaning and behavioural practices.

Viable Microbial Contamination Results

Microbial contamination results showed no correlation between air change rates and microbial counts. In addition, the reduced air change rates have shown the potential to improve microbial detectability without compromising overall cleanliness standards, providing enhanced visibility and control of environmental limits.