In both the Netherlands and Belgium, a CO2 sensor is recommended in the classroom at schools. In both countries, a subsidy is available from the national government with the aim of improving the indoor climate for schools.
In advice from respectively the Flemish and the Dutch government read how schools can get help/subsidy for measuring CO2. Part of that is installing the right CO2 meters/sensors in classrooms and how to deal with the data that comes from the CO2 meter. There are 2 facets that are emphasized in the advice, namely:
- CO2 meter/sensor must meet a number of specifications. In any case, it must be immediately visible whether the so-called PPM values (which measure CO2) do not exceed the limit. This can be done with a so-called traffic light function (red, yellow, green) and/or a display.
- In the Netherlands it is required that the data from the CO2 sensor can be monitored and is available for at least 1 year.
Online CO2 sensor monitoring for schools solution for mandatory reporting
There are 'stand-alone' CO2 meters. By this we mean that you can see CO2 values visually on a 'box', but with which you cannot make analyses. Sometimes you can store the data here via an SD card. In any case, you will have to keep track of the analyses manually. In fact, this increases the workload for, for example, the school (often the teacher).
We think this can be improved. We therefore recommend digitizing the CO2 sensor. This can be easily done by a 'wireless smart CO2 sensor with traffic light' to hang the data from which you can send to an analytics platform.
The data is analyzed automatically. The person responsible (often the teacher) does not have to worry about it, nor does he have to perform any actions. He only has to look at the traffic light on the wireless CO2 sensor that hangs in his classroom to see if the CO2 level in the classroom is good. Optionally, a display can be made available, for example:
- on a screen in the classroom;
- on a smartphone, for example by scanning the QR code attached to the CO2 sensor.
What is the right technology?
When you digitize you need a network. You could consider your WiFi network. But because this is already widely used by teachers and students, we advise using a special (IoT) sensor network. This technology is called LoRa. This sounds difficult, but it is not. With 1 or perhaps 2 Gateways(a) you already have coverage in a building. The CO2 sensors that you can use in this LoRa network are battery powered and do not require mains power. This of course saves a lot of costs in the rollout. With regard to a LoRa IoT network, there are 4 options, each with its advantages and disadvantages.
| Public LoRa | Managed Private LoRa | Integrated Private LoRa | Community LoRa | |
| More information about the solution | See the website of the operator concerned KPN (NL), Proximus (BE) | Private LoRa | LoRa-2-GBS | Helium IoT |
| Connectivity costs | You pay approximately €0.50 – €1 per sensor per month, depending on your sensor data(b) | You pay €12 per gateway per month. Unlimited number of sensors(a) | Internal LoRa network server, no connectivity costs, unlimited number of sensors | You pay approximately €0.01 per sensor per month depending on your sensor data(a) |
| Available CO2 sensors | Elsys ERS CO2 (c) | Elsys ERS CO2 | Elsys ERS CO2 | Elsys ERS CO2 |
| Integration with building management system (BMS) | No | No | Yes | No |
| Mining (earn crypto) | No | No | No | Yes (you earn HNT coins by contributing to the network) |
a) LoRa Gateways have a large range. In general, you can cover three floors of a building with 1000m2 with 1 Gateway. To have 100% certainty, a network measurement can take place.
b) The amount of sensor data depends on multiple factors, such as interval of sending, number of values you want to send (e.g. temperature, humidity, CO2, battery value etc.). If you have to pay for connectivity, the connectivity costs will be higher as you send more data.
c) The Elsys ERS CO2 sensors are equipped with a traffic light function, so that you can always see whether the PPM value is good or not. From the LoRa network you can easily make a connection to your own platform, so that you digitize the sensor and do not put the workload on the school. Then you can create dashboards/displays, make graphs, do alarms, etc. You can see an example here.
Resume
- Standalone CO2 sensors cause an extra workload for the person responsible for the school (often teachers). Because there is an obligation to store data for 1 year (in NL), they will often have to manually maintain data.
- By digitalizing the CO2 sensors, everything is taken care of and the school does not have to worry about it.
- We always recommend using a dedicated IoT network based on LoRa and not collecting data via an existing WiFi network, for example.
- Depending on the situation, you have four options. The sensors we supply are tested and certified for all 4 solutions.
More information
Want to get started with CO2 measurement yourself? We are happy to help you! Take Contact Contact us and we will look together at which option is best for your organization.