Beyond the Fume Hood: Strategies for Safer, More Efficient Lab Ventilation

Fume hoods are among the most important pieces of safety equipment in a laboratory—but their performance doesn’t depend on the hood alone. Ventilation strategies, HVAC controls, room layout, sash position, maintenance practices, and user behavior can all affect how effectively a fume hood operates, as well as how much energy the laboratory consumes.

For laboratory owners and project teams, this means fume hood decisions should be considered as part of the larger laboratory system rather than in isolation. Choices made during planning and design can influence safety and energy performance for years, while operational practices can either reinforce or undermine those design strategies once the lab is occupied. Understanding those connections can help teams make more informed decisions, avoid unnecessary energy use, and maintain effective fume hood performance over the long term.

These issues will take center stage during “Fume Hood Safety, Performance, and Energy Efficiency,” a presentation by Alison Farmer, PhD, president of the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL), during Lab Design’s Fume Hood Safety & Efficiency Digital Conferenceon September 8.

The free digital conference will bring together practical information for architects, lab planners, engineers, facility professionals, researchers, lab managers, and other professionals involved in designing, operating, or renovating laboratory facilities. By registering for free, attendees can watch the sessions live on September 8 or access them on demand afterward, and can earn AIA/HSW credit by completing the webinars.

Fume hood performance requires more than annual testing

Farmer’s presentation will look beyond the specifications of the fume hood itself to examine the building systems and operational practices that influence safety, performance, and energy use throughout the life of a laboratory.

One key takeaway is that maintaining fume hood performance requires ongoing attention. Annual testing is important, but Farmer points to additional opportunities for owners and facility teams to identify problems before they affect laboratory operations.

“Going beyond the minimum required annual testing can yield significant benefits for system performance,” Farmer tells Lab Design News. That could include regularly verifying VAV operation or using data analytics platforms to continuously monitor hood and room controls and identify issues.

Good documentation is another important—and sometimes overlooked—piece of the puzzle. Maintaining consistent records of hood and room airflow requirements, and updating those records after renovation projects, can help facility teams make better decisions as laboratory spaces change over time.

Are all those fume hoods really necessary?

The presentation will also address an issue that can have significant implications for both laboratory design and energy consumption: whether every fume hood is actually necessary.

Farmer recommends incorporating a review step into renovation projects to verify that proposed new hoods are truly needed. Periodically evaluating existing hoods for potential “hibernation” can also create opportunities for energy savings.

These strategies can help organizations avoid adding unnecessary ventilation loads while ensuring that fume hoods remain available where they are actually needed.

Bringing users, facilities, and EH&S together

Perhaps most importantly, Farmer will explore how fume hood performance depends on collaboration among the people who design, operate, maintain, and use laboratory spaces. Fume hoods sit at the intersection of occupant safety, user behavior, and HVAC system performance, making them an ideal focus for cross-functional improvement efforts.

That collaborative approach is also at the heart of the upcoming I2SL International Fume Hood Challenge, which Farmer will introduce during the presentation. The initiative will bring researchers, EH&S professionals, and facilities teams together around a shut-the-sash competition designed to encourage safer hood use and reduce unnecessary energy consumption.

But the Challenge goes beyond reminding users to close their sashes. Participating teams will also consider how fume hoods interact with the building’s ventilation system and work with facilities staff to evaluate HVAC performance and identify opportunities for improvement.

“We’ll be judging entries at the building level,” Farmer explains, with recognition based not only on improved sash management but also on engagement with facilities teams to evaluate HVAC performance.

The Fume Hood Challenge is scheduled to launch in early 2027, but organizations don’t have to wait to start applying its lessons. Farmer’s presentation will offer practical strategies that teams can use now to evaluate existing hoods, inform renovation and replacement decisions, improve day-to-day operations, and identify opportunities to reduce energy use without compromising safety.

Take practical strategies back to your lab

For anyone involved in laboratory planning, design, management, or operation, the session offers a chance to rethink the fume hood as more than an isolated piece of equipment—and to better understand how design decisions, building systems, and human behavior work together to determine laboratory performance.

Watch Alison Farmer’s presentation during the Fume Hood Safety & Efficiency Digital Conference on September 8, or access it on demand afterward. The event is free, and attendees can earn AIA/HSW credit by completing the webinars. Register today!