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On whether changes in bedroom CO2 levels affect sleep quality

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Re: On whether changes in bedroom CO2 levels affect sleep quality

#191
post #169
post #29

I was lucky to get my hands on 5 proper co2 sensors from university, while I was teaching and working. So plenty of test places. What I found: -Just a couple of hours in a office, without ventilation spikes the co2 enough to make everyone dizzy and tired by the end of the day. Keeping eye on the meter and ventilating properly, increased everyones productivity and people werent so tired by the end of the day. - Classr…

This is wildly conjectural, but assuming the "CO2 is causing widespread cognitive problems" hypothesis is true, I wonder if there are whole colleges whose student bodies are getting slightly worse grades because of this. There are a couple of small colleges in my area that are regionally famous for their stuffy buildings.

I wonder similar about office buildings or apartments which are next to large car-parks, does that measurably affect air quality inside?

Re: On whether changes in bedroom CO2 levels affect sleep quality

#192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They now (as of 2018 I think) make Extra Low Temp heat pumps, which can work down to -15F. I think that makes heat pumps practical for a very wide variety of temperate climates.

I see they do, but their BTU's are very low - I see the Fujitsu RLS3H, which goes down to -26C only outputs 12,000 BTU at that temperature. To heat a house at that temperature you'd need 5-10 (if not more) of those.

Only if you insist on the same duty cycle. Furnace might only run 4h/day, while heat pump could run all day (6* reduction)

Re: On whether changes in bedroom CO2 levels affect sleep quality

#193
post #29

I was lucky to get my hands on 5 proper co2 sensors from university, while I was teaching and working. So plenty of test places. What I found: -Just a couple of hours in a office, without ventilation spikes the co2 enough to make everyone dizzy and tired by the end of the day. Keeping eye on the meter and ventilating properly, increased everyones productivity and people werent so tired by the end of the day. - Classr…

It seems it has not been such a big issue before plastic windows or in older houses. I think it is getting worse with every new building.

That's because the focus on energy efficiency means installing HVAC that recirculates and setting the recirculation ratio to as high as they can get away with. Before that, buildings were taking in 100% outside air to heat/cool, which was extremely inefficient but also gave no chance for CO2 to build up.

Re: On whether changes in bedroom CO2 levels affect sleep quality

#194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check out ERVs, energy recovery ventilators.

How are these different from HRV - Heat recovery ventilation?

HRV's exchange only heat. ERV's (where E stands for energy or enthalpy) also exchange moisture. One is not strictly bette than the other, it depends on your house and your climate: https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/hrv-or-erv

Re: On whether changes in bedroom CO2 levels affect sleep quality

#195
post #29

I was lucky to get my hands on 5 proper co2 sensors from university, while I was teaching and working. So plenty of test places. What I found: -Just a couple of hours in a office, without ventilation spikes the co2 enough to make everyone dizzy and tired by the end of the day. Keeping eye on the meter and ventilating properly, increased everyones productivity and people werent so tired by the end of the day. - Classr…

My friend studied Interior Architectural Design, one of his professors there started one lecture a year by getting the CO2 sensors, placing them around the lecture hall, showing the readings at the start of the lecture, closing the doors and then after the hour long lecture showing the readings. During the lecture he mentioned the figures for CO2 concentration that led to symptoms, e.g. dizziness, sleepiness etc. The…

>there are a lot of features of interior design architecture that aren't really addressed

Nearly every standard rectangular building should be in actuality built with the energy efficient building design in mind, but we don't... out of simple mental oversight and in the increased cost in construction.

https://kammaliyaa.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/figure-11.jpg

Literally, we could save 20% to 30% in energy costs with every building with possibly only 10% to 15% increase in cost of construction, but we simply don't because we have no congregate valuation of resource consumption, only individual guilt.

Re: On whether changes in bedroom CO2 levels affect sleep quality

#198
post #122

With every similar news I feel dumb. Because my parents and my grandparents used to say same things. It was easy to dismiss all the advice as grumbling, but I really should refresh air before sleeping, humidify air in heating season, eat more vegetables... etc. etc.

well it would have helped if they explained it or knew why. they just “felt” those things. if I knew it’s because co2 was building up and it can make you dizzy, i’d open the window

Re: On whether changes in bedroom CO2 levels affect sleep quality

#199
post #29

I was lucky to get my hands on 5 proper co2 sensors from university, while I was teaching and working. So plenty of test places. What I found: -Just a couple of hours in a office, without ventilation spikes the co2 enough to make everyone dizzy and tired by the end of the day. Keeping eye on the meter and ventilating properly, increased everyones productivity and people werent so tired by the end of the day. - Classr…

Check out ERVs, energy recovery ventilators.

These require a ducting system, correct?

Re: On whether changes in bedroom CO2 levels affect sleep quality

#200
post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is wildly conjectural, but assuming the "CO2 is causing widespread cognitive problems" hypothesis is true, I wonder if there are whole colleges whose student bodies are getting slightly worse grades because of this. There are a couple of small colleges in my area that are regionally famous for their stuffy buildings.

I wonder similar about office buildings or apartments which are next to large car-parks, does that measurably affect air quality inside?

If most of the cars in the car park are turned off, it might not be any worse than a building next to a busy highway where cars are actively spewing CO2.
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