Case Study: R1 University Brings Smarter Ventilation to Labs and Vivarium

A public R1 research university focused on agriculture, engineering, and life sciences relied on a centralized air monitoring system across its laboratory and vivarium spaces. Over time, the system’s maintenance costs grew large enough to erode the energy savings it was installed to deliver. The university set out to lower both maintenance and energy costs without compromising safety for researchers or research animals.

Lab and vivarium ventilation is a safety system first. The legacy platform was proprietary, required outside contractors for routine service, and turned every change into a slow, labor-heavy project.

The vivarium added its own constraints:

• Always occupied: animals are housed around the clock, so the nights-and-weekends setbacks used in labs don’t apply.
• High fixed air change rates: animal rooms are commonly designed for 10 to 15 air changes per hour, the long-standing guideline in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. That makes them among the most energy-intensive spaces on campus.
• Changing air quality: ammonia and odor from bedding, plus cleaning and disinfection chemicals during cage changes, vary through the day.
• Accreditation: conditions must stay stable and documented for animal care oversight

The university selected AntrumX with AntrumEYE for contaminant-based monitoring and demand-controlled ventilation across 60+ laboratory and vivarium spaces. AntrumX has a single moving part, and its sensor pack can be swapped by in-house staff in minutes with no tools.

The system delivered:

• Real-time monitoring of air quality indicators in each lab and animal room including ammonia in the vivarium
• Automatic increases in airflow when contaminants rise, such as during cage changes or room sanitation
• Alerts when readings exceed safety thresholds
• Integration with the building automation system to adjust air change rates automatically
• A secure, auditable data record supporting EHS protocols and animal care compliance
• Energy and sustainability reporting, including kWh reduced and CO₂ avoided

Vivarium ventilation matched to real conditions. Instead of running animal rooms at a fixed high rate around the clock, the system holds a lower minimum when the air is clean and ramps up when monitoring detects a need. Ventilation was reduced upwards of 40%.

Operational efficiency. Service tasks that once required outside labor and long downtime now take minutes.

Lower maintenance costs. The simpler design significantly reduced ongoing expenses. [30% lower annual maintenance cost.]

Energy savings. Savings were reinvested in future energy projects rather than spent keeping outdated systems running.

Flexibility and control. Facility managers can tailor ventilation to each lab and animal room and review data in real time.

By extending demand-controlled ventilation into the vivarium, the university showed that its most ventilation-intensive spaces don’t have to run at fixed maximum airflow to stay safe. The project lowered operating costs, strengthened safety documentation for researchers and animal care staff, and advanced the university’s sustainability goals.