Labs burn through energy way faster than offices. Labs use 40.8kWh per square foot - offices run at just 15.9kWh. That's a 2.5x difference. Fume hoods, single-pass air, and non-stop ventilation drive it. Building automation systems close the gap by connecting safety protocols to energy controls. You cut waste, but containment stays tight. Add privacy-first occupancy sensors. They let you match ventilation to people in real time, so you don't over-ventilate during downtime. See how Occuspace brings near-zero-install occupancy intelligence.

Managing labs is tough. They need directional airflow, negative pressure to corridors, and instant response any time someone opens a fume hood or a door. You can't recirculate air. The system runs 24/7. Lose pressure or ventilation, and people could be exposed to hazards. There's no room for error here.

Lab automation balances two big things: always keeping people safe and lowering energy use when it makes sense. Let's break down the control stack, top ventilation strategies, privacy-first occupancy sensors, strong OT security, and a 90-day action plan to get your system up and running with real results.

Why Labs Need Specialized Building Automation

Labs aren't like offices. Three big differences drive automation setup:

• Air always needs to move directionally. You pull clean air in from corridors, then push it out through hoods. Negative pressure keeps threats inside the lab. Your BAS tracks pressure constantly and tweaks fans to hold setpoints - even when people come and go or demand changes fast.
• Labs use single-pass air. HVAC makes up over 60% of lab energy use. Unlike offices, you can't just recirculate air. Labs run 8-30 air changes an hour (offices are at four). Every bit of exhausted air needs fresh, conditioned makeup air.
• Speed is everything. If a researcher opens a fume hood, face velocity must stay above 100 feet per minute - right away. If someone steps into an empty lab, the system ramps from low to full flow to clear any contaminants. Labs need that reaction in seconds, not minutes.

Labs don't have predictable schedules either. Two people might work three hours and leave it empty for six. Vivariums work on set animal care routines. Time-of-day schedules waste energy and don't match reality. Privacy-first occupancy sensors feed your BAS real numbers - not tracking people, just giving what you need.

Top Strategies for Safe, Efficient Lab Ventilation

Focus on these three control strategies:

• Variable air volume (VAV) plus sash tracking
• Occupied and unoccupied ventilation modes
• Demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) using air-quality sensors

They all cut energy without lowering your safety bar.

VAV and Sash Tracking: Energy Savings Meet Safety

With VAV, fume hoods adjust airflow by sash position. Sash closed? Airflow drops just enough to keep the space safe. Open it, and sensors tell the system to boost flow, always aiming for 100 fpm - and never dropping below 70 fpm.

VAV can save 12–22% energy compared to constant air volume hoods. You save fan energy. You also keep your heating and cooling loads down.

Your BAS should talk to hood controllers (BACnet or similar). It reads sash position, exhaust flow, face velocity - adjusts supply so pressure stays set, and keeps building-wide balance. Run ASHRAE 110 tests after install and at regular intervals to make sure everything holds up.

Demand-Controlled Ventilation in Labs

DCV uses sensors for a responsive system. VOC sensors watch for organic vapors. Particle counters check for airborne stuff. Numbers spike? BAS boosts air changes. Air's clean and no one's in the room? System drops to setback mode - keeps pressure, saves energy.

DCV shines in labs with variable use. A teaching lab might pack in people, then sit idle. A prep room generates VOCs during mixing, stays clean the rest of the day. Smart controls mean ventilation matches real needs - not worst-case 24/7.

Make sure your BAS includes purge and emergency overrides. Spills or alarms? Hit full exhaust. Manual overrides at exits make it quick for researchers to boost ventilation before leaving. Safety always comes first.

Smart Building Moves in Labs and Research Spaces

Automation does more than ventilation. Lighting follows occupancy, reducing plug load. Temperature drops in downtime, cutting HVAC bills. But labs limit how far you can go. You need stable temps for samples, and exhaust fans running to keep pressure right.

Track your wins. Zero in on these metrics:

• Ventilation runtime vs. occupancy and contaminants - If air stays high while labs are empty and clean, that's waste.
• Energy per occupied hour - Divide HVAC energy by hours with people present. It levels the playing field across labs with different schedules.
• Minutes out of pressure spec - Log any time pressure drifts off target. Frequent hits mean you need to retune or check your equipment size.

Visitor analytics give you traffic patterns. Lobby data shows peak times. Floor and wing data spot underused zones. Use it to plan maintenance, cleaning, even future lab assignments. Reporting stays private and only shows trends, not individuals.

How Occupancy Data Analysis Supercharges Safety

Occupancy analysis informs ventilation without cameras or tracking. Non-camera sensors use passive infrared, thermal, or radio signals. They count people—give the BAS headcounts. More people? More airflow. Empty? Drop to setback.

See more about pairing occupancy data with HVAC. These sensors only give anonymous counts. No images, no device IDs, no personal tracking. Optimize air without building a surveillance system.

Dashboards bring it all together. See occupancy, hood events, room pressure, and alarms. High occupancy with high VOCs and lots of hood activity? Demand's real. Empty room but VOCs still high? Maybe a leak or a hood left on. You can respond fast and fine-tune setpoints with confidence.

Turn on automatic lighting too (with separate data). Use occupancy for HVAC and lights; use badges just for access. Don't combine them - you keep privacy and clear data streams.

Keeping Your BAS Secure as OT

Your BAS sits at the crossroads of IT and OT. Labs handle sensitive data, valuable equipment, and hazardous materials. If someone gets in, they could shut down ventilation or leak information. That can't happen.

• Treat BAS like critical infrastructure. Segment it from IT networks with firewalls and VLANs.
• Limit remote access. Strong authentication only. Use VPN and two-factor authentication.
• Turn off unused protocols and services. Change default passwords. Rotate credentials often.
• Use BACnet/SC if you can. It encrypts and authenticates traffic using TLS. Devices get checked before joining. Data stays encrypted throughout the chain. Check Siemens’ BACnet/SC guide for details.
• Log every configuration and alarm. Review weekly. Add BAS to your security team's scans and patch routines - old devices are often vulnerable.

Get Results in 90 Days: The Plan

Break your rollout into three fast steps:

1. Days 1 - 30: Take a baseline. Measure current ventilation, energy use, pressure, and occupancy. Don't change anything. Log everything at 15-minute intervals-air changes, hood positions, occupancy, and air quality.
2. Days 31 - 60: Turn on occupied/unoccupied modes. Drop ventilation when empty and air quality is good. Use a 15-30 min delay to prevent short cycles. Ramp air back up fast when people return. Watch pressure closely so you stay safe.
3. Days 61 - 90: Fine-tune everything. Tweak delays, ramp rates, and pressure targets based on what you see. Test a sample of hoods (ASHRAE 110) to check containment. Measure face velocity for different sash positions. Use tracer gas to confirm no leaks. Compare energy to your baseline. A 15-25% cut with zero safety slips means you're there.

Wrap it up with hands-on training. Show your ops team the dashboards. Practice overrides. Document everything - setpoints, sequences, fixes. Review quarterly to keep savings up as patterns change.

KPI Tracking and Commissioning Checklist

Monitor these each month:

• Fume hood face velocity - keep it at 100 fpm, never below 70 during tests.
• Pressure differential from lab to corridor - keep it in your safety range (usually -0.01 to -0.03 in. WC).
• Ventilation runtime per occupied hour - drop this by 20-30% versus constant-flow systems.
• Energy cost per square foot - target $0.30-$0.60 annual savings when you combine DCV and setbacks.
• Fan Energy Index (FEI) - how much you save compared to a baseline fan. See LBL for reference.

Check these tasks off during commissioning:

• All fume hood controllers connect to the BAS and share live data.
• Occupancy sensors work - test by walking in and out; BAS should update in under 60 seconds.
• VOC and particle sensors trigger ventilation when needed.
• Pressure alarms go off if a door fails or fans shut down.

Review alarm logs weekly during the first three months. If you see lots of nuisance alarms, tune your control logic. Quick-clearing alarms are usually normal (doors opening). Alarms that last point to real problems - tackle them early to keep trust high.

Plan yearly recalibrations for airflow sensors, pressure monitors, and air-quality sensors. Tuning and tests (like ASHRAE 110) keep your system sharp - go yearly for high-risk, every few years for low-risk labs.

FAQs

How do I track time-on-site for teams without gathering personal info?

Use privacy-first occupancy sensors that count people - no cameras, no device tracking. You get a total in the room at any time. Add up hours and average occupancy - never need to know who’s there or when.

How do I spot team behavior across different areas, again without personal tracking?

Aggregate occupancy by space type and by time. Compare wet labs, dry labs, open desks, private offices. See when spaces get busy or go unused. Here’s a guide on privacy-first occupancy sensors. You get clear insights - all anonymous.

How do I get about 4-foot indoor location accuracy using Wi-Fi?

Deploy Occuspace Macro sensors. They scan Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, no network connection needed. Space the sensors every 2,000 sq. feet for overlap. System de-duplicates signals to estimate occupancy by room or zone. Use Micro sensors for small rooms - these report occupancy with 400 sq ft coverage. All sensors count anonymously - never track individuals.

Next Steps: Make Your Labs Smarter and Greener

Labs need more from automation. You must keep people safe, act fast, and control energy in spaces that burn 4-6 times more power than offices. But these demands make big savings possible. With VAV, occupied/unoccupied modes, and DCV, you can cut energy 20-30% - and make labs safer with better monitoring and response.

Privacy-first occupancy sensing lets you optimize without surveillance. Aggregate reporting shows where and when people use space, not who does it. Tie in hoods, pressure, and air quality for a full view. Modern security practices lock down your automation systems.

Start with a baseline, turn on new modes gradually, and track your numbers. That brings wins for safety, budget, and sustainability. Ready to optimize your lab with real-time, private occupancy analytics? Request an Occuspace demo - get actionable insights that fit your current automation and deliver results in days.