In more than half of Estonian homes the carbon dioxide (CO2) level is probably too high due to insufficient ventilation. Although excessively high CO2 levels cause drowsiness, discomfort and reduce the productivity and concentration of those who work from home, it is not necessary to undertake an expensive renovation immediately.
Professor Jarek Kurnitski, director of the Institute of Construction and Architecture at Tallinn University of Technology, said that ventilation systems in many Estonian homes are still not modernised. “A high level of CO2 is a symptom of insufficient ventilation. As a rule, newer houses have ventilation systems with heat recovery, which constantly take air in and expel it. In this case there will be no problems. That’s okay even in completely renovated apartment buildings, where adequate ventilation is also installed,” Kurnitski told ERRile.
However, according to Kurnitski, the vast majority of Estonians live in households that still have natural ventilation or a system with some exhaust, for example in the kitchen or bathroom. Again, older homes may not have ventilation issues. “For example, in the case of a small house, where there is a lot of space per person, the windows do not let in much air and also the house itself is not very airtight, the air naturally exchanges quite well and the air also exhaust solutions work. There may be no problems,” the professor cited as an example.
Thermal insulation problems begin to arise in older buildings. “To reduce heating costs, airtight windows are installed and external walls are insulated. In this case natural ventilation ends. If the ventilation system is not installed, the air no longer wants to change,” he added. This is why, for example, Kredex requires that applicants for renovation financing must also install a ventilation system.
Air exchange must be ensured yourself
According to Jarek Kurnitski, more than half of Estonian homes do not have modern ventilation systems. In older apartments there are often not enough square meters per person. Insufficient ventilation can cause, in addition to high CO2 levels, also excessive humidity, which can lead, for example, to mold growth in bathrooms. “The problem is definitely more acute when it comes to a smaller apartment and more people living in it,” admits the professor. However, even in an unventilated apartment, you can do a lot about air exchange.
In an old apartment it may not be easy to ventilate the rooms when it is cold, because when you open the window a cold wind blows in. If you don’t want to rush into renovating right away, according to Kurnitski, you should first think about how to use the house. “Many older apartments are equipped with a ventilation system, i.e. an extractor hood or a separate bathroom fan, which sucks air out of the wet room. In this case the air must also be able to enter somewhere,” he explains Kurnitski.
“For this, there are usually fresh air valves on the windows or the window seals have been cut. Newer windows also have so-called microventilation positions – again, it depends on the user himself, whether he uses it to let fresh air in? Also, from time to time it is necessary to air the rooms and open the windows. All this can be done without major repairs. The most important thing is that if there is air extraction in the ‘apartment, there must also be an outlet somewhere,” he added.
A CO2 sensor comes to the rescue
How to detect excessive levels of CO2 in rooms? According to Kurnitski, the suffocating air is perceived particularly well by those coming from outside. Unfortunately, a person who stays in a stuffy room for a long time gets used to it and cannot understand whether he is in a well-ventilated room or not. “A person’s sense of smell is very adaptive and we quickly get used to smells. In this way, it may not be easy to understand if the CO2 level is high. A person becomes drowsy and work productivity decreases. This is definitely a very bad situation in the Ministry of the Interior,” Kurnitski said.
That’s why CO2 sensors come in handy. But what to monitor from the sensor? Kurnitski shares some tips: “CO2 itself has no direct effect on humans, or rather begins to harm health when the concentration becomes extremely high, reaching over 5,000 parts per million (ppm). A reasonable range for homes is 1,000-1,200 ppm,” he explained.
However, when it goes from there, the person starts to feel worse and the ability to concentrate decreases. Below 1000 ppm indicates good home ventilation. In workplaces, a good level is around 800 ppm and should absolutely not exceed 1,000.
2024-01-02 12:23:00
estonian-homes-are-plagued-by-excessively-high-co2-levels-health
#Estonian #homes #plagued #excessively #high #CO2 #levels #Health