Steps for Improving Air Quality After Using an AQ Monitor

[WhatIsAir]

I bought a portable CO2 monitor and have tested a few places I regularly go–namely coffee shops. My two favorite coffee shops are hovering around 1200ppm, which I am guessing could be average or standard for a cafe.

Say the business owner wanted to improve ventilation. What would they do? Their options might be limited as far as opening windows. Their HVAC might just recirculate the inside air. (The owner of the cafe might not be the building owner, as well.)

Are there air purifiers that reduce CO2? What about an Energy Recovery Ventilator or Heat Recovery Ventilator for the HVAC system?
On a separate post I asked a similar question regarding schools. Some schools have their windows sealed shut, and likely don’t have funds to improve their HVAC.

[Ethan]

Great question! I would say that 1200 ppm is probably pretty average for a cafe that isn’t very open.

@WhatIsAir

Say the business owner wanted to improve ventilation. What would they do? Their options might be limited as far as opening windows. Their HVAC might just recirculate the inside air. (The owner of the cafe might not be the building owner, as well.)

Unfortunately, there is relatively little action that can be taken if more windows/doors can’t easily be opened and if the owner of the cafe has no control over the building’s systems. It could be that the system is using the wrong settings (perhaps it’s being used just to heat/cool and not to ventilate) and in this cases things could be quite easily improved.

@WhatIsAir

Are there air purifiers that reduce CO2? What about an Energy Recovery Ventilator or Heat Recovery Ventilator for the HVAC system?

Unfortunately, air purifiers can’t reduce CO2. However, an ERV or HRV could definitely be used! They’re a bit easier to install and also cheaper. This would probably be the easiest recommendation if it’s feasible.