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Institutional benefits
The Smart Labs program is an integrated approach to laboratory energy retrofit and new construction projects.
UC Irvine’s Energy Team has developed a roadmap to look at each system and break it down into its basic
components to reduce the energy used to operate that system by 50%. The energy savings are used to pay for
the retrofit over time, but the emissions reductions are realized immediately ensuring that the university meets
its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. A distinct benefit of instituting the Smart Lab concept as a retrofit
project is the impact the program can have on unfunded deferred maintenance projects. Replacing aging, worn,
or neglected systems with new high efficiency components nets a maintenance and reliability increase. Energy
savings that provide enhanced reliability result in increased safety for operations within the lab building. The
decreased down time from failures increases productivity and ensures students and researchers are provided
with the best possible facilities for their research and teaching mission.
UC Irvine has determined that deep energy efficiency programs, as opposed to the 20-30% typical savings of
past retrofit projects, are the only currently feasible route to meeting our climate goals. “Low-hanging,” fastpayback projects at most institutions are already completed and now more sophisticated retrofits usually
exceeding payback of 8 years are required. These projects are not without risk, and the Smart Lab design that
has now been tested is being deployed across UC Irvine’s lab inventory and can be repeated by other intuitions
to achieve similar results.
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Characteristics or qualities that make this program or practice different or innovative
UC Irvine has an assembled an Energy Team with representation and participation from all relevant units of the
campus. The group meets regularly during the project development, construction, and analysis phases to ensure
that safety and customer satisfaction are not compromised in the name of energy savings. Environmental Health
and Safety experts and the Campus Fire Marshal have thoroughly reviewed each component of the Smart Labs
concept; recommendations have been made and procedures implemented to maintain the highest level of safety
while challenging previous best practices.
The Smart Lab concept has many individual features that UC Irvine has piloted over the last three years before
being incorporated into our design guide. In order to make the deep energy cuts that are required to meet a 50%
savings goal, theories must be tested, perceptions changed and results evaluated.

Exhaust Stack Discharge Velocity Reduction (ESDVR) looks to reduce laboratory exhaust stack
velocity and eliminate bypass air by reevaluating the original building wind tunnel study and performing
additional wind tunnel testing to avoid re-entrainment and contamination of occupied spaces. Exhaust
stack height may be modified to allow for increased plume dispersion and decreased energy
consumption. Resulting energy savings of 40-50% have been achieved.

Centralized demand controlled ventilation looks at real-time indoor air quality in the occupied spaces
and varies the ventilation rates accordingly. This allows for significant air change rate setbacks during
times of low process activity and lab space non-occupancy. UC Irvine has adopted a 4 air changes per
hour minimum occupied and 2 air changes per hour unoccupied standard versus the previous 6 air
changes per hour. The fan energy, chilled water, and hot water energy reduction approaches 40% during
occupied hours and 60% during unoccupied periods. In addition the system provides real time feedback
of lab air change rates, contaminant levels, and in the event of a chemical or particulate excursion in the
lab notification to environmental health & safety personnel.
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Smart lighting in laboratory space with daylighting opportunities uses controls to reduce light levels
when adequate natural light is available. Perforated blinds are used in these spaces to diffuse direct
sunlight but allow for partial daylight penetration. Occupancy sensing is used in a bay-by-bay
configuration for maximum segmentation while incorporating an auto on to 50% manual on to 100%
auto off sequence. In addition all linear fluorescent lighting at UC Irvine has been re-lamped with 25
watt T8 lamps and reduced light output ballast.
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Lab buildings campus wide that are not Variable Air Volume with Direct Digital Controls are retrofit
with lab air control valves, digital thermostats, and occupancy sensors. Office and support space within
lab buildings air flows are reduced by 80% when unoccupied.

Air Handlers are retrofitted with VFD drives, premium efficiency motors, static pressure reset control
sequences, and low pressure drop filters. Sound attenuators are removed and in combination with the
new filtration media required fan energy to meet static pressure requirements is reduced by 15%.

High performance fume hoods allow for improved containment with the potential to reduce face velocity
from 100 FPM to approximately 70 FPM based on a study conducted at UC Irvine in conjunction with
CAL-OSHA.
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UC Irvine purchasing policy requires that new equipment be Energy Star certified. This includes
freezers, refrigerators, ice machines, and copiers. All energy saving features are enabled to increase plug
load savings. PC Power Management software is installed on desktops and in computer labs.
Please refer to the Smart Lab Energy Project Guide for a more detailed sequence of deployment and all of the
features that make up the Smart Lab concept.
Smart Labs are also only as effective as the people who operate and use them. This is why as part of our Smart
Lab concept at UC Irvine we have incorporated an extensive training program. The program consists of training
for the building technicians that must work on the more sophisticated systems ensuring that they possess the
skills required to troubleshoot and repair system failures. We also provide occupants training as they are the
front line of defense not only when systems fail, but they also have the greatest impact on realizing the savings
of the Smart Lab design.
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How this practice can be used by others
The Smart Labs design guide was created to share with other campuses as a roadmap to energy saving
initiatives while mitigating the risks involved with untested retrofits. All of the elements in our smart lab project
have been pilot-tested, and we have reported many of the key results at Labs21 and via free webinars.
Laboratories across the country can benefit from the program implemented at UC Irvine. As demonstrated the
starting point can be from renovation, all the way to new construction and at any point in between. There are
significant savings to be achieved.
In 2010 UC Irvine shared the Smart Labs concept with King Fahd University in Saudi Arabia, University of
British Columbia, and Woodhead Architects from Australia. We are committed to not only reaching our energy
and climate goals but have the additional goal of sharing our experience and lessons learned.
Exportability of Smart Labs Design
% Energy
Estimated Applicable
Reduction
U.S. Projects
Estimated Total Savings
Billions of BTUs
New wet laboratory
Retrofit wet lab w/ VAV1 &
DDC2
Retrofit wet lab w/o VAV &
DDC
50%
350
4,700
50%
2,500
33,500
60%
3,700
60,200
New vivaria
Retrofit vivaria with VAV &
DDC
Retrofit vivaria w/o VAV &
DDC
30%
60
500
50%
400
6,000
60%
700
10,700
7,710
115,600
Type of Project
Totals
1Variable-air volume
2 Direct digital controls
Note: Estimates based on information from the U.S. EPA, CBECS, and experience-based assumptions.

Demonstration of management involvement and employee commitment
UC Irvine’s commitment to the Smart Lab concept is demonstrated by the involvement at every level of the
organization in its implementation. No project would be successful without funding and the Chancellor and
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost provided the opportunity, the Vice Chancellor of Administrative and
Business Services set the expectation of a 50% reduction and from there the Smart Labs program began. The
Assistant Vice Chancellor of Facilities Management put in place the teamwork aspect compiling not only
facilities staff, but Environmental Health & Safety, lab facility managers, and researchers. The team then
scoped and piloted projects communicating the vision of a new lab building design to architects and engineers
and evaluating the results. The facilities team also worked to ensure that researchers, staff, and students were
trained on the Smart Lab concept to ensure the systems were used as designed. Occupant feedback was
incorporated into future designs and the implementation process refined.
The renovation and retrofit projects often take place in operating research labs throughout campus. UC Irvine
Facilities Management has included students and staff throughout the process. Facilities Management conducts
town hall meetings to share the Smart Lab concept with building occupants prior to construction. This not only
keeps occupants informed of construction activities taking place in their lab it also opens a dialog that has led to
additional energy savings. Lab users often locate energy waste in lab spaces that may go unnoticed until retro
commissioning can take place.
After completion of a Smart Lab renovation or new construction project, building occupants are again contacted
by Facilities staff with on-site training and handouts are disseminated throughout the building to provide
occupants with information on how to use the newly installed features. Training leads not only to increased lab
safety but carbon and energy savings though sash management, best lighting practices, and knowledgeable use
of the HVAC system.
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Documentation of results, analysis, customer feedback, and resulting benchmarks.
Sue and Bill Gross Hall Case Study:
Sue and Bill Gross Hall is UC Irvine’s newest laboratory building and was designed and constructed using our
Smart Lab standards. Opened on May 14, 2010 the building is UC Irvine’s benchmark for Smart Lab energy
savings.
Features of our newest Smart Lab building, Gross Hall, include centralized demand controlled ventilation, step
dimming capability to respond to daylighting opportunities, and operable windows in office spaces to encourage
the use of natural ventilation to improve indoor air quality. Air handlers are designed with a low face velocity
across the coils and are equipped with deep pleat, high media surface area, MERV 14 filters to reduce system
pressure drop and fan motors run on variable frequency drives. Exhaust fans are high plume vector type fans
with induced flow and right sized to take advantage of fan law savings through running multiple fans at a
slower speed on variable frequency drives. The HVAC design also includes cascade cooling through transfer
grills to secondary spaces to eliminate the need for fan-coil units.
Estimated annual energy savings:
• 890,080 kWh electrical with 193 kW demand reduction
• 22,464 therms of natural gas
Estimated annual energy cost savings:
• $110,980 at $0.105/kWh and $0.78/therm
Savings by Design payment of $397,836 is a rebate from Southern California Edison awarded for the energy
efficiency measures that go beyond the current best practices.
Gross Hall was successful in exceeding Title 24 by 50%
Bid as a LEED New Construction (NC) Silver Design Build contractor proposed to increase the sustainable
features to achieve LEED NC Gold certification
Rowland Hall Case Study:
Rowland Hall is a 6-story, approximately 200,000 square-feet, university laboratory building constructed in
1968. There are five floors and a basement, as well as a penthouse area. The lab building utilizes 175 fume
hoods in support of research laboratories, teaching laboratories, classrooms, and offices. The building also
houses a 250-kW (thermal) research nuclear reactor facility licensed by Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a
large laboratory support machine shop, and laboratory glassware shop.
Rowland Hall was identified as the largest utility consuming building on campus. Facilities Management, using
the Smart Lab design guide, identified retrofit projects that could be implemented in lighting, HVAC, and fume
hoods. The building underwent a constant air volume to variable air volume, as well as a pneumatic to direct
digital control upgrade. Fume hoods were upgraded with digital lab air control valves and zone presence sensors
were installed. Office and support areas were fitted with occupancy sensors that now provide for reduced air
flow during unoccupied periods. 32 watt T8 lamps were replaced with 25 watt T8’s and normal light output
ballast were replaced with reduced light output, and occupancy sensors were installed.
The project netted not only energy savings but dramatically increased lab safety with superior air flow controls.
Labs now remain negative to the corridors, fume hood flows maintain proper calibration, and the reactor facility
was provided with flow and pressure monitoring previously unavailable. The Smart Lab retrofit was completed
in a fully operational building with careful coordination and sequencing of the work to minimize disruptions to
research and classroom activities.
Achieved annual energy savings:
• 3,486,767 kWh electrical with 640 kW demand reduction
• 98,000 therms of natural gas
Achieved annual energy cost savings:
• $442,550 at $0.105/kWh and $0.78/therm
UC Irvine also received a combined utility rebate of over $922,000 for the achieved savings
Environmentally this Smart Lab project reduced the campus CO2 emissions by 1,660 metric tons.