Design Solution · MEP
Design Solution · Dream about it
Demand-controlled ventilation driven by CO2 and temperature sensors.
CO2 and temperature sensors around the building modulate ventilation rates up and down to match real occupancy and conditions rather than running at a fixed maximum. Demand-controlled ventilation slashes fan and conditioning energy, which dominates lab consumption. It keeps operational energy well below typical net-zero lab targets.
Demand-controlled ventilation driven by CO2 and temperature sensors is a well-established energy reduction strategy in office and education buildings, but applying it to a laboratory setting requires careful qualification because laboratories have minimum ventilation requirements driven by chemical exposure risk and fume extraction codes that set a floor well above typical occupancy-responsive setpoints. If the building described has mixed occupancy — combining conventional offices, write-up spaces and teaching areas with laboratory suites — then demand control on the non-laboratory portions is straightforward and demonstrably effective; extending it into lab spaces requires an analysis of whether the hazard profile permits turndown, and at what rate. The claimed energy reduction is plausible in the right zones but the record carries no provided evidence or operational data, so the figure should be treated as a design-stage target rather than a demonstrated outcome. The operational dependency is sensor calibration: CO2 sensors drift over time and require regular recalibration to maintain accuracy, and a ventilation system that responds to uncalibrated sensors will either over-ventilate — losing the energy saving — or under-ventilate in ways that affect air quality and, in lab spaces, safety. The technology is low-risk in conventional spaces and the direction of travel is correct; the specifier's due diligence is to verify what proportion of the building area qualifies for demand control under the occupancy hazard assessment, and what the maintenance obligation on the sensor network looks like across a 25-year building life.
#demand control #ventilation #sensors