People spend 60-90% of their lives indoors. Air quality in the offices is one of the main concerns of businesses, building managers, tenants and employees, as it directly affects the health, well-being and efficiency of the people working in the building.
Due to constant air exchange, i.e. the replacement of indoor air with fresh air, indoor air quality depends largely on the availability of ambient air, for example, opening and closing of windows and doors. It also depends on the efficiency of ventilation systems, carbon dioxide levels, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), etc.
Several studies have shown that office environments with poor air quality reduce work productivity. Driven by the aforementioned studies, Connected Baltics and Saint-Gobain Ehitustooted carried out an IoT air quality monitoring project. Its main objective was to monitor air quality of the offices and to analyse the characteristics of different premises.
Saint-Gobain air quality monitoring project
During the course of the project different parameters were monitored over a 3-month period – air temperature, CO₂ levels and relative humidity. Those parameters characterise indoor climate, allow companies to evaluate the efficiency of their ventilation systems and its impact on the productivity of their workers.
Temperature, humidity and CO₂ levels were monitored using Sigfox Connected AirWits CO2 sensor GSS CozIR LP / Sensirion SHT3. The sensors were installed using two-sided tape and mounted to the height of an average person’s airways, away from windows and doors. The project lasted for 3 months and relevant data was transferred to a central database after every 30-minutes. Although the results were visible in real time, automatic reporting was introduced in case any values should lie outside the specified range.
Data obtained during the project provides an opportunity to analyse indoor climate parameters of the premises in the context of other workspaces. It also provides information which helps to improve current ventilation systems, in order to ensure a better indoor climate, thus promoting productivity. A comparative evaluation was carried out on the data received during the project to assess the indoor climate of the premises.
“I think it is important that people enjoy working for our company, therefore their daily working environment and tools should be as good as possible. The air quality and temperature in our offices may vary. The rooms are of different sizes and facing different directions, some exposed to the sun, there are also meeting rooms of different sizes that have no windows. We have noticed that from time to time the indoor climate does not meet our expectations and decided to carry out surveys to better understand the situation.
As a result of these surveys we found that the CO₂ levels were significantly lower than feared, however, the humidity levels were also much lower than expected, i.e. we discovered that the air in our offices was too dry. The data we received helps us to improve the indoor climate of our work premises.
The partnership has worked very well. In addition to technical support, we also received help with substantive issues, such as interpreting the result of the measurements. I would like to thank Connected Baltics team for a great cooperation!” said Mart Arro, CEO at Saint-Gobain Ehitustooted.
Connected Baltics & Sigfox Network
Connected Baltics is the first nationwide IoT operator in Estonia that develops and markets Sigfox LPWA network solutions, enabling millions of connected devices to send short messages in a cost-effective and energy-efficient way.
Using Sigfox technology Connected Baltics offers and develops inexpensive and energy-efficient IoT sensors for different industries, helping organisations in Estonia to use LPWAN technology and the sensors both internally and internationally.
Saint-Gobain Ehitustooted
Saint-Gobain Ehitustooted manufactures, develops and sells general construction materials (marketed brands: Gyproc, ISOVER, Weber, Fibo, Ecophon). The company belongs to the international Saint-Gobain Group, which operates in 67 countries and employs more than 179,000 people.
The Group mobilizes its companies’expertise and provides a range of solutions for buildings that are comfortable, more energy efficient and more pleasant to live every day
For further enquiries about the project, please contact:
Connected Baltics OÜ
Silver Kalmus
Sales Manager
E-mail: sales@connectedbaltics.com
Saint-Gobain Ehitustooted AS
Mart Arro
CEO
E-mail: mart.arro@saint-gobain.com
