Laboratories use large amounts of water for cooling both equipment and chemical reactions via condensers. Use of waterless condensers in the first year Chemistry laboratory has recently resulted in a saving of approximately 20m³ of water over a single term.

Use of waterless condensers is being introduced across further teaching courses, and in research laboratories, chemists have found that an individual may save 5m³ of water per week. A reduction in running water in laboratories also reduces the risk of floods within buildings. Use of recirculating coolant systems is being increasingly used with laboratory equipment such as rotary evaporators and spectrometers.

In the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, this change has saved over 250m³ of water per year.