You can use a CO2 Monitor to measure indoor air quality.
Comparing indoor CO2 readings to the baseline outdoors can give us an idea of how well a space is ventilated with fresh air from outdoors and can help you take steps to improve ventilation and lower the risk of airborne infections. Poor ventilation has been shown to cause symptoms such as tiredness and headaches.
Note that CO2 monitors are not carbon monoxide detectors and are not life safety devices.
What’s Included
- an Aranet4 carbon dioxide monitor
- a bilingual instruction booklet
Loan periods and limits
- Holdable
- Loan period: 7 days
- No renewals
- Replacement fee of $325 applies for lost or damaged kits
Tips for accurate readings
Take the device outdoors in an open area away from crowds. After a few minutes, the reading should be between 400 to 450 ppm. This means it is properly calibrated.
If the device is not properly calibrated, follow the instructions in the user manual.
Always take readings at least two metres away from people's faces or your readings may be artificially high.
Readings should be performed when the space is occupied. If you expect 30 people in the room, you'll want to take a reading with 30 people present.
You may notice the readings stay steady, rise continuously or cycle from higher to lower values. These patterns provide hints to how the space is ventilated and may guide your troubleshooting to improve ventilation in the space.
| Indoor CO2 in parts per million | Ventilation performance, with respect to the number and activity level of people in the space |
|---|---|
| 600 or under | Excellent ventilation |
| 601 to 800 | Good ventilation |
| 801 to 1000 | Fair ventilation |
| 1001 to 5000 | Poor ventilation |
| 5,001 or over | Dangerous ventilation |
Optional: You can download the free Aranet4 app from the Mac App Store or Google Play Store to track your CO2 measurement data.