An overview of how to use temperature and humidity loggers alongside CO2 loggers to help save energy and money.

At a time when energy efficiency is paramount to cutting carbon emissions, it is important that increasing ventilation rates do not contribute to greater energy usage and energy loss.

Reports recommend that ventilation rates should be balanced against the extra energy demands resulting from increased ventilation. Extra energy, for example, may be required to heat and/or humidify a space if increased ventilation causes heat loss or dries out the air. Monitoring temperature, humidity and CO₂ can help to save energy by informing the use of ventilation only when necessary and only for an appropriate duration.

CO₂ data loggers with alarms are particularly useful, as these can prompt occupants to ventilate only when extra ventilation is required. A long-term understanding of CO₂ levels, meanwhile, enables facilities managers to supply ventilation to indoor spaces at a rate that is appropriate to the time of day or season.

Temperature and relative humidity data loggers can be used to assess heat transfer rates and understand how humidity levels correlate with ventilation. When compared with CO₂ data, building managers can prevent excess heat and humidity loss by ensuring that ventilation occurs only for the time it takes to ensure effective replacement of the air.

Start monitoring indoor air quality today

The report from the Environmental Modelling Group and SPI-B anticipates that wider uptake of CO₂ monitoring, combined with public health campaigns and appropriate workplace training, could improve people's awareness of the importance of indoor air quality. This, in turn, would lead to improvements in how indoor air quality is managed and how new buildings and retrofits are designed.

Indoor air quality monitoring with data loggers is both simple and cost-effective. USB-connection data loggers are easy to set up and use, and can be moved between locations and rooms to monitor where necessary. New data loggers can easily be incorporated into an indoor air quality monitoring strategy on an ad hoc basis, making the initial cost of investment flexible to different budgets.

The Tinytag range of data loggers offers options for monitoring temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide. Using Tinytag data logging software, data from CO₂ data loggers can be overlaid and compared with data from temperature and relative humidity data loggers, enabling effective analysis of indoor air quality in combination with occupant comfort. Outdoor temperature and relative humidity data loggers are also available for assessing how the indoor environment responds to outdoor environmental conditions.

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References and further reading