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Sustainable SCIFs: Can We Be Energy-Efficient and Secure?

  • Writer: Phil
    Phil
  • Sep 30
  • 3 min read

For decades, SCIFs and SAPFs were designed with one mission in mind: keep information safe at all costs. Sustainability, energy efficiency, and occupant comfort were rarely priorities.


But times are changing. Federal mandates now require facilities to reduce energy use and carbon footprint. Occupants demand healthier, more livable spaces. Meanwhile, adversaries continue to sharpen their tools.


That leaves us with a pressing question: can we meet both sustainability goals and security standards at the same time?

Porches with Green Plants and a blue sky
Green Designed Modern Building

Where Sustainability SCIF design and Security Collide

Designing a SCIF sustainably isn’t straightforward. Many “green” features can conflict directly with ICD/ICS 705 requirements:


  • Windows & Daylighting: Most SCIFs prohibit traditional windows because of acoustic, direct vissability and RF vulnerabilities. That cuts off natural light, impacting comfort and energy use.


  • HVAC & Building Management Systems (BMS): Modern BMS platforms often rely on wireless controls (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LoRa), which are not permitted in SCIFs. Even wired systems can become vulnerabilities if signal lines aren’t properly filtered.


  • Lighting & Controls: Energy-efficient systems like Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) lighting can run into the same challenges as BMS, creating potential emanation paths or wireless entry points.


On the surface, it looks like sustainability and security are mutually exclusive. But there are solutions emerging.

Windows and Daylighting: Not Impossible

Natural light has always been a challenge in SCIFs — but new approaches are changing the game.

  • Solar Tubes: In non-shielded SCIFs, solar tubes can bring daylight into spaces without traditional windows. Because they are indirect, small (often less than 96 square inches), and controlled, they don’t create the same vulnerabilities as windows.


  • Fiber Optic Solar Systems: For shielded spaces, fiber optic daylighting offers an elegant solution. Mirrors capture sunlight, pipe it through fiber bundles, and deliver it inside the secure perimeter without creating an RF leak point. This method preserves shielding while still offering natural light.


While not yet mainstream, these approaches show that ICD 705 security requirements don’t have to mean “dark rooms forever.”

HVAC Systems: Efficiency Meets Filtering

HVAC is another flashpoint. Modern high-efficiency systems often rely on “smart” controls, but most wireless BMS features are off-limits inside SCIFs.

  • Wireless Control Risks: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and LoRa controllers are generally not permitted in secure spaces. Even when disabled, the hardware itself can create vulnerabilities.


  • Signal Line Filtering: ICD 705 requires that signal and control lines be filtered to prevent unintended emanations from coupling onto them. Without this, adversaries could siphon data indirectly from HVAC lines leaving the secure space.


  • Insulation as an Ally: One advantage? High R-value insulation — necessary for acoustic mitigation in SCIFs — also improves thermal efficiency. In this case, security-driven construction inherently supports sustainability.


The balance: sustainable HVAC design is possible, but it must be engineered with wired, filtered, and certified components to avoid becoming an attack surface.

Lighting and Controls: Same Risks, Same Fixes

Lighting systems are converging with IT. Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) lighting is efficient and flexible — but it introduces the same risks as BMS: data pathways that could leak information.


  • Cybersecurity for PoE Lighting: If PoE lighting is used, it must be isolated, filtered, and validated for ICD 705 compliance.


  • Secure Alternatives: Traditional shielded electrical circuits with high-efficiency LED fixtures still offer excellent energy performance — without creating new cyber vulnerabilities.


The lesson: not every “smart” feature is a good fit for SCIFs. Sometimes, the more sustainable and secure choice is actually the simpler one.

From Trade-Offs to Synergy

For years, sustainability was treated as a trade-off against security. Today, we can design for synergy:


  • Daylighting without windows (solar tubes, fiber optics).

  • Insulation that supports both acoustic security and thermal efficiency.

  • HVAC and lighting systems that reduce energy use and meet emanation standards.


Policy is already pushing us in this direction. The challenge is adjusting habits — to stop seeing green design as a vulnerability, and start seeing it as an opportunity.

Why Testing Still Matters

As always, none of this works without testing and validation.

  • Daylighting solutions must be verified for RF integrity.

  • HVAC and lighting controls must be tested for emanations.

  • Energy-saving systems must be commissioned securely, not just for efficiency.

Only testing proves that sustainability features aren’t introducing new risks.

Moving Forward

Here’s the hopeful truth: we can build SCIFs that are both hardened and efficient. But it takes risk-informed design, the right technologies, and thorough testing.


Do you need help designing or upgrading your high-security space to meet both sustainability and ICD 705 standards?


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