Measurement of CO2 concentration for occupancy estimation in educational buildings with energy efficiency purposes

Franco, Alessandro; Leccese, Francesco

doi:10.1016/j.jobe.2020.101714

Cited by 81 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“… Allen and Marr, 2020 , ASHRAE, 1992 , Asif and Zeeshan, 2021 , Bazanta and Bush, 2020 , Franco and Leccese, 2020 , Lelieveld et al, 2020 , Tagliabue et al, 2021 .…”

Section: Uncited Referencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

CO2 concentration monitoring inside educational buildings as a strategic tool to reduce the risk of Sars-CoV-2 airborne transmission

Gilio

Palmisani

Pulimeno³

et al. 2021

Environmental Research

123

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In order to avoid SARS-CoV-2 transmission inside educational buildings and promote the safe reopening of schools, the Italian Government, in line with the other European countries and in accordance with the WHO recommendations, adopted a contingency plan including actions able to guarantee adequate air ventilation in classrooms. Therefore, in this pilot study, a surveillance activity based on the real-time monitoring of CO 2 levels as a proxy of SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk, was conducted inside 9 schools (11 classrooms) located in Apulia Region (South of Italy) during the reopening of schools after the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, monitoring activities and data treatment were conducted to evaluate the initial scenario inside the classrooms (first stage of evaluation) and the potential improvements obtained by applying a detailed operating protocol of air ventilation based on specific actions and the simultaneous real time visualization of CO 2 levels by non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensors (second stage of evaluation). Although, during the first evaluation stage, air ventilation through the opening of windows and doors was guaranteed, 6 (54%) classrooms showed mean values of CO 2 higher than 1000 ppm and all classrooms exceeded the recommended CO 2 concentration limit value of 700 ppm. The development and implementation of tailored ventilation protocol including the real time visualization of CO 2 levels allowed to depict better scenariosAn overall improvement of CO 2 levels was indeed registered for all classrooms where teachers were compliant and helpful in the management of the air ventilation strategy. Therefore, this study reports the first evidence-based measures demonstrating that, with the exception of few environments affected by structural limits, the real-time visualization and monitoring of CO2 concentrations allowes effective air exchanges to be implemented and contributes to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Moreover, on the basis of the monitoring outcomes and in order to ensure adequate air ventilation in educational buildings, a 4 level-risk classification including specific corrective actions for each level was provided.

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“… Allen and Marr, 2020 , ASHRAE, 1992 , Asif and Zeeshan, 2021 , Bazanta and Bush, 2020 , Franco and Leccese, 2020 , Lelieveld et al, 2020 , Tagliabue et al, 2021 .…”

Section: Uncited Referencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

CO2 concentration monitoring inside educational buildings as a strategic tool to reduce the risk of Sars-CoV-2 airborne transmission

Gilio

Palmisani

Pulimeno³

et al. 2021

Environmental Research

123

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“…For example, in [33], a reduction of fan energy consumption equal to 50% and of ventilation heat losses of more than 35% have been observed in offices and schools. This technology can be based on direct carbon dioxide monitoring [34] but also on indirect measures such as smartphone counting. The presence of DCV could also help to operate an IAQ based on increased safety requirements and tailored on the actual contagion situation, providing a compromise solution between the energy consumption and the risk of infection [35].…”

Section: Energy-efficient Ventilationmentioning

confidence: 99%

HVAC Energy Saving Strategies for Public Buildings Based on Heat Pumps and Demand Controlled Ventilation

2021

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The paper analyzes and compares the perspectives for reducing the energy consumption associated to the operation of Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning system for climatic control of large-size non-residential buildings. Three different control strategies are considered comparing the use of boiler and heat pumps as heating systems and analyzing the use of demand-controlled ventilation, operating on the effective occupancy of the building. The control strategies are applied to two different educational buildings with shapes representative of typical educational structures. The results of the analysis show how the energy consumption can be reduced up to 70%, shifting from the actual values of the energy intensity of over 300 kWh/m2 for year to values of less than 100 kWh/m2 per year. The significance of the energy savings achieved in such different buildings has led to the identification of a possible benchmark for HVAC systems in the next future years which could help reach the environmental targets in this sector.

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“…A clear and precise relationship occurs between energy consumption, energy indications, and different spaces of the building [33]. Moreover, different amounts of energy create a significant challenge to establish benchmark data [34].…”

Section: United States 16%mentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon Dioxide Footprint and Its Impacts: A Case of Academic Buildings

2021

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Carbon emissions have been considered a major reason behind climate change and global warming. Various studies report that rapid urbanization and the changing demands of 21st century life have resulted in higher carbon emissions. This study aims to examine the carbon footprints in an academic building to observe the carbon dioxide (CO2) levels at crucial landmarks and offices. A sensor-based automated system was designed and implemented for the collection of CO2 concentrations at selected locations. In the final stage, a CO2 footprint map was generated to highlight the vulnerable areas of CO2 in the academic building. It was concluded that offices have higher CO2 concentrations at both intervals (morning and afternoon), followed by the laboratory, corridors, and praying area. The CO2 concentration did not exceed 500 ppm at any location. Thus, all locations other than offices had normal CO2 concentration levels. Similarly, the humidity level was also satisfactory. The average humidity level was below 50%, which is below the permissible value of 65%. The recommended range for temperature values as per ASHRAE standards is 22.5 °C to 25.5 °C, except for prayer places. It was concluded that the selected academic institute is providing a good environment to the users of the building, but that may change once the academic institute becomes fully functional after COVID-19. This study assists the stakeholders in making guidelines and necessary actions to reduce CO2 concentration in academic buildings, as it is expected to rise once the human load increases in the next academic year. The suggested approach can be used in any other country and the results will vary based on the building type, building energy type, and building ventilation design.

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Measurement of CO2 concentration for occupancy estimation in educational buildings with energy efficiency purposes

Cited by 81 publications

References 29 publications

CO2 concentration monitoring inside educational buildings as a strategic tool to reduce the risk of Sars-CoV-2 airborne transmission

CO2 concentration monitoring inside educational buildings as a strategic tool to reduce the risk of Sars-CoV-2 airborne transmission

HVAC Energy Saving Strategies for Public Buildings Based on Heat Pumps and Demand Controlled Ventilation

Carbon Dioxide Footprint and Its Impacts: A Case of Academic Buildings

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