CO2 sensors in buildings VS. CO2 sensor HVAC

It’s no secret that, larger quantities of CO2 in the air can cause headaches, shortness of breath, and are guaranteed to negatively impact our mental health.

CO2 Sensors and Air Quality sensors can detected a compromised well-being early and your buildings HVAC / ventilation system can react according to it.

Humans adapt and fail to notice a change in the CO2 levels. Sensors don’t. Perhaps that is why is so important to monitor the ppm levels with professional CO2 sensors in HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning).

Andivi product portfolio: CO2 sensor in buildings and CO2 sensors HVAC

At Andivi, we have several different kinds of HVAC CO2 sensors that vary according to:

1 – Type of CO2 sensor HVAC:

• • Passive CO2 sensor wall-mounted or duct version,
  • Modbus CO2 sensor,
  • LoraWan CO2 sensor.

2 – Casing:

• • Wall mounted CO2 Sensors for indoor use with IP20 protection;
  • Duct mounted CO2 Sensors for use in air ducts / ventilation ducts with IP65 protection.

3 –  Output options:

• • At 0-10V: 15…36VDC or 24V/AC;
  • At 4-20mA: 15…36V/DC.

4 – Additional sensors (within one casing):

• • CO2 sensor (ppm)
  • CO2 sensor (ppm) + Air Quality sensor (VOC – ppm),
  • CO2 sensor (ppm) + Air Quality sensor (VOC – ppm) + temperature sensor (°C),
  • CO2 sensor (ppm) + Air Quality sensor (VOC – ppm) + temperature sensor (°C) + humidity sensor (%).

5 – Additional extensions:

• • LED display mounted on casing for with real-time indication of measured values,
  • Additional relais.

indoor wall-mounted CO2 sensor HVAC

Duct CO2 sensor HVAC

Measuring levels – what makes sense in HVAC and buildings?

In both cases using CO2 sensors in buildings or CO2 sensors for HVAC, the measuring range that makes the most sense when it comes to measuring are the ranges relevant on human well-being.

That’s why every CO2 sensor in buildings or HVAC can be set up to measure the range between 0 and 2000 ppm (particles per million) or the range between 0 and 5000 ppm (particles per million).

See the table below to better understand how CO2 levels affect well-being:

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Make sure to add this article from Wired Magazine to your reading list: How Many People Die When Polluters Exceed Their Limits? – a new report tallies the death toll from excess emissions by looking at air pollution.

CO2 sensor types

There are several types of CO2 sensors. NDIR sensors (Non-Dispersive Infrared Sesnors), which we use at Andivi for our wall mounted and duct CO2 sensors for HVAC application.

NDIR sensors provide information at lower CO2 levels where the values are relevant for indication below 1000ppm – and are an indicator of living quality.

Besides NDIR, there are also MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) and Electrochemical Sensors. We have written more about the different sensor types in another blog post here: Which Modbus CO2 sensor are most common.

At Andivi we use NDIR sensors with auto-calibration using the dual beam method.

CO2 sensor in buildings application areas

The most common application areas for CO2 sensors in buildings are:

• • Indoor Air Quality Measurement in Offices,
  • Schools, hospitals, nurseries, kindergartens, cinemas,
  • Offices, open offices and conference rooms,
  • Hotels,
  • Residential areas,
  • DCV – Demand Controlled Ventilation for energy savings,
  • HVAC applications for building management,
  • Residential and home air quality control.