In these difficult times for the spread of Coronavirus, most countries are taking drastic measures. Among these, confinement at home.
This constraint will inevitably lead to periods of stress and tension in families, which everyone will have to learn to manage.
There is another phenomenon that will have to be managed, especially if you live in a region where the good weather and the heat are not yet there. It’s about indoor air quality.
The hazards of life mean that we are currently testing a new sensor, which allows monitoring of air quality, but also measurement of working conditions. Since we are all confined to our homes, I therefore tested this sensor at my home. And the data that I analyzed is surprising, even disturbing.
Here are the results of this quick analysis.
I would like to clarify that this article is not intended to take advantage of the health crisis linked to the Coronavirus (Covid-19), by positioning a new sensor. The conclusions of this analysis can be implemented without a sensor, or any other expense…
Description of the place of life
- An apartment of +/- 80m2.
- Family of 2 parents, 2 children
- Outdoor temperature: +/- 0 ° C – so the windows are naturally closed
What is "indoor air quality"?
It is recognized in the scientific literature that measuring the level of CO2 in an indoor environment is a good indication, in general, of the quality of the air we breathe.
So I installed a sensor that measures temperature, humidity (in%), CO2 (in ppm). It also measures the sound level and the brightness, but these 2 parameters are less important in this case.
The level of CO2 in the outdoor air is around 400-600 ppm. Up to 800ppm, the air quality is considered to be correct. Between 800ppm and 1200ppm, the air quality is considered acceptable (but not good). Beyond 1200ppm, it is considered bad. This can lead to headaches, loss of concentration, and even respiratory illnesses for the most sensitive.
We had published a file on air quality, which can be downloaded here.
Air quality readings
Here are the measurements taken on March 18, 2020, at my home.
It can be seen that the quality of the air, by measuring the level of CO2, decreases very quickly. We quickly reach CO2 levels close to or above 2000ppm! Dangerous.
What can you do to improve indoor air quality?
Ventilate regularly.
In our case, ventilate, create a draft by opening windows ideally located on 2 different sides of your home (to benefit from a differential air pressure, which will induce air circulation).
This ventilation must be done several times a day! The graph of CO2 concentration shows that it rises very quickly with human activity.
On the graph, we see that the temperature drops. But it goes up very quickly, as soon as we close the windows.
Also take advantage of the night to ventilate well, without disturbing your loved ones 😊
Indoor air quality measurement - the technical point
These measurements were made with the indoor environment quality monitoring sensor. This sensor communicates via a LORAWAN communications network. Or a public network (Proximus, Orange, Objenious, ER Telecom, AndorraTelecom, Everynet…). In this analysis, we installed a LORAWAN Gateway at home, therefore via a private LORAWAN network. The data is analyzed through our IOT Factory software platform.
