Labs burn through energy and money so fast, most office managers would do a double-take. But what if you could use privacy-first occupancy intelligence, link it to your BAS, and cut lab energy by up to 30% in just a few months? Labs use 4-6 times more energy per square foot than offices. Ventilation alone pulls 44-60% of that total. Cutting airflow isn't an option - people need protection from chemical fumes, biohazards, and combustibles.

Building automation systems (BAS) are your way out. They cut waste while locking in safety. BAS deliver 15-30% energy savings. Some labs get up to 50% electricity reduction, with payback in less than three years. Here's how.

The secret? Know which signals matter. Automate the right moves. Draw the line between efficiency and protection.

Why Labs Need Building Automation Systems for Smarter Control

Labs face the same problem everywhere: constant ventilation keeps you safe but eats up money. Labs in the U.S. rack up $1-2 billion in yearly energy costs. Most can drop energy use by 30-50% with tech that's already out there.

It's more than just cost. Labs run under tight safety codes - minimum air change rates, specific pressure rules, quick responses to breakdowns. Even a single fume hood can use as much energy as 3.5 homes. You can't flip it off just because no one's looking.

BAS solve this. They enforce safety rules and adjust ventilation on demand. They track who's in the room, which hoods are open, and if pressure holds steady. If conditions are right, airflow dials down. If someone comes in or lifts a sash, airflow ramps up in seconds.

With anonymous occupancy data tied to demand ventilation, you can save about $0.50/ft² per year. See this Occuspace case study.

What Sets Labs Apart from Offices

Offices go for comfort and cost. Labs chase containment and safety.

• Labs handling hazards need at least 6 air changes per hour. Some need 8 or more. Offices usually run 2-4 ACH. That’s a lot more air - and energy - moved.
• Fume hoods add more complexity. Variable air volume systems adjust exhaust as sashes move. But controllers only have 3 seconds to react and hold safe face velocity and pressure.
• Pressure cascades matter. Clean rooms need positive pressure to block contaminants. Chemical storage needs negative pressure to keep fumes in. Write-up areas and halls bridge the gap. BAS must keep these steady, even with doors swinging or hoods opening.

EH&S sets the safety rules, based on hazards and codes. BAS enforces those rules, adjusting within safe ranges. Savings never come before safety.

Signals That Matter in Labs

Occuspace Macro and Micro sensors go up in minutes. No cameras. No personal data. Just 95% accurate counts.

You can't automate what you don't measure. Labs need a toolkit of sensors to track safety priorities and efficiency opportunities.

• Occupancy sensors tell the system who’s actually there. Camera-free options matter when privacy and IP are on the line. mmWave radar works anywhere, in any light, without recording a frame. For broader tracking, the Occuspace Macro solution scans Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals from devices people already carry. It delivers highly accurate real-time density data without capturing personal info.
• Our privacy-first sensor guide shows how anonymous counting builds trust. You get full compliance without the surveillance.
• Sash position sensors communicate with exhaust valves to maintain safe velocities. They handle ±0.25 inches tolerance for VAV fume hoods, keeping air moving correctly as you work.
• Door contacts and pressure sensors monitor room pressurization constantly. Transducers pick up tiny pressure differences, while contacts track traffic flow. Systems pause setbacks automatically until doors close.
• IAQ monitors track essentials like CO₂, temperature, and humidity, with extra sensors for specific hazards. Stick to standard setpoints: 76°F minimum in summer, 71°F max in winter, 25–60% RH.
• Power and water meters identify heavy loads from autoclaves, incubators, and analyzers. Use that data to spot high-use equipment and schedule it for off-peak hours.

Core Automation Sequences that Get Results

The right automation saves energy and keeps labs safe. These sequences work.

• Occupied/unoccupied ACH resets: Adjust ventilation by who's there. Drop from 6-8 ACH occupied to 4-6 ACH unoccupied. Some spaces go as low as 1 ACH if no hazards are present. Chemical storage and hood standby always keep minimum flow.
• Fume hood demand control: Ties exhaust to sash position. Shut the sash, exhaust modulates down. When all sashes are down, supply air drops too. Modern controls can save up to 50% energy when sashes are closed.
• Pressurization control: Keeps spaces at target pressures - like corridor at 0.00, lab at -0.02, chemical storage at -0.05. System auto-corrects if pressure drifts. Alarms fire if serious.
• Optimum start/stop and setbacks: Pre-condition support spaces before use. Ramp back temps and air when nobody’s there.
• Alarm management: Instantly catches hood failures, pressure breaches, and fan faults. Every alarm logs with time and zone. Facilities and EH&S get notifications - fast. Critical alarms trigger instant response.

If a sensor fails, the system defaults to safe mode - occupied airflow, max ventilation.

Connect Occupancy and Ventilation - Keep It Safe

Here’s the sequence:

• Sensors detect people. System jumps to "occupied" mode, ramps up ventilation in 5-15 minutes.
• No occupancy? After 30-60 minutes, system shifts to unoccupied mode, dials back airflow.
• Minimum flows stick for chemical storage or hoods - always safe, even if no one's there.
• Open a door and the system pauses reset for 2-5 minutes, then resumes. Keeps pressure shifts out of the equation.
• Every move gets logged - time, sensor, action. Logs support compliance and audits, never contain personal info.

This approach works: One occupancy-based DCV setup saved $60,000 in annual lab costs - 125,000 kWh in cooling, 53,000 therms for heating. Proof here.

Use Data to Optimize Room Type and Hood Mix

Occupancy data shines a light on what’s busy and what sits empty.

• Track booked vs. actual use for labs and write-up zones. If a space is booked for 40 hours but used for just 12, you've found room to optimize.
• Measure time in each room - instrument rooms, cores, tissue culture - to see real usage.
• Spot underused hoods by checking sash logs. Hoods closed 90% of the time can move to storage or be removed. Upgrading from 100-FPM to 70-FPM saves $1,350 a year per hood.
• Cluster labs to boost utilization, but only if your research needs mesh. Data tells the truth - follow it.

Connect to Smart Building Systems for Comfort and Savings

Linking occupancy info with lighting and HVAC slashes lighting energy by 30-50%. You get real-time alerts on airflow issues. All with less work.

• Occupancy-driven lighting control dims or shuts off write-up zones when empty. Safety lighting always stays on. LED fixtures drop usage even more.
• Show energy per used hour and CO₂ spike minutes on dashboards. Facilities teams spot problems before anyone complains. See high CO₂ during occupied hours? You’ve got an airflow or sensor issue to solve.
• Fault detection flags stuck dampers or leaky ducts. BAS compares expected vs. actual airflow. If numbers don’t add up, it triggers a work order, fast.
• Connecting BAS for long-term sustainability links occupancy with HVAC, lighting, and plug loads. Save energy, cut carbon, boost comfort.

Keep Sensing Privacy-First in Sensitive Labs

Labs process confidential data, controlled substances, patented work. Sensing must respect privacy. Here’s how you do it right:

• Go camera-free. Choose mmWave radar, thermal, or PIR sensors. They never record, and work in any light.
• Aggregate only to rooms or zones - never track individuals. The system needs to know “Lab 342 has 3 people,” not who or how long.
• Post data practices in each lab. Example: "We use occupancy sensors to control ventilation. The system counts, doesn’t identify. Data kept 90 days for analysis, then deleted." Builds trust fast.
• Access stays role-based. Only facilities or lab managers view occupancy. Researchers see only their spaces - if they need it.
• Keep all personally identifiable data out. Don’t link badge swipes, logins, or bookings to occupancy. If you need links, handle it in a separate system with strict controls.

Scale Up to Campus Level

One building smart is good. Campus-wide is better.

• Structure data: site → building → floor → suite → room. Roll up or drill down anytime. See which buildings run lean, spot underused rooms, focus improvements.
• Blend BAS trends with entry data. If a building’s empty after 8PM, cut HVAC and security staff. If usage climbs at deadlines, extend services for real demand.
• Weekly rollups show wins: “Building 7 cut energy 15% with demand-controlled ventilation. Building 12 shows the same - expand it there?”
• Dive deeper in our smart campus guide. Learn how to merge anonymous occupancy with Wi-Fi and BAS data.

Key Metrics Every Leader Should Track

• Safety: Count pressure breaches, hood failures, and alarm response times. Keep these numbers trending down. Safety always wins.
• Utilization: Measure average daily peak by zone. Track how often you’re in target ACH. See dwell by room to right-size new projects.
• Energy and carbon: Energy per used hour compares buildings fairly. Fan power vs. hood position shows if you’re getting promised savings. Heat recovery impact reveals energy reclaimed from exhaust.
• Experience: Log hot/cold complaints and noise. CO₂ exceedance minutes flag ventilation issues during busy times.
• Site Energy Use Intensity (EUI) is your primary building metric in kBtu/ft²/year. Labs use 2-20 W/sf plug load vs. 0.5-1 for offices. Always compare apples to apples.

FAQs

What's a scalable solution for multi-building visitor analytics?

Use Wi-Fi presence detection plus door counters. You’ll get usage data building-wide without personal tracking. Wi-Fi detects devices (no IDs), door counters add direction. Weekly rollups spot where people go, when traffic spikes, and how long they stay. Keep everything anonymous - only counts and broad aggregation.

Which platform maps cross-floor employee moves and collaboration?

Combine privacy-friendly Wi-Fi and booking data. Map which floors and zones get the most cross-visits, track which teams interact. You’ll see patterns - "30% from Building A visit Building B weekly" - with zero personal trails. Use meeting room bookings (never personal calendars) to spot hot spots. Protect privacy by aggregating at zone level and using thresholds to block re-ID.

How can we cut carbon emissions from campus buildings with usage data?

Tie occupancy and hood demand to ventilation resets and heat recovery. When sensors say a lab is empty, set air changes to "unoccupied." That cuts fan, heating, and cooling loads. Sash sensors show hoods are closed - so modulate exhaust down. One campus saved $60,000/year-125,000 kWh cooling, 53,000 therms gas. Heat recovery captures exhaust energy for supply air, when demand makes sense. Lab buildings drive up to 60% of campus emissions. Every improvement counts, but always stay within safety rules.

Drive Lab Efficiency and Safety Forward

BAS put you in control of labs - the biggest energy users - without giving up any safety. The tech works. The sensors work. The results are real.

• Start with one floor or building.
• Measure baseline, add occupancy sensors and sash monitors, tune sequences, track results.
• Use privacy-first intelligence: anonymous counts, room-level data, transparent practices. Build trust while giving facilities teams the signals to get more efficient every day.

You’ll have safer labs, lower costs, and data that supports smarter space allocation. Ready to get started? You can deploy privacy-first occupancy intelligence in just days. Book a demo with Occuspace and drive lab efficiency and safety forward.