Here are some factors to consider when placing Atmocube:
If an IAQ monitor is placed too far from where people commonly gather, it won’t be able to sample the air that the people breathe, which makes the AQ insights useless. Therefore, Atmocube should be placed in areas of a building that are most populated (such as conference rooms and collaboration areas) or frequently used (such as the bedroom and living room).
The “breathing zone" is the vertical zone where the occupants spend the majority of their time. The standard breathing zone height is between 3.6 and 5.6 feet (1.1 and 1.7 meters) above the ground. Placing the device in this area will ensure that Atmocube samples the air that the building's occupants are breathing.
The device should be placed at eye level or slightly lower if people primarily remain seated or spend time in that particular area. For instance, in a bedroom where you spend most of your time lying, the monitor should be placed at eye level for more representative air quality readings.
Windows, doors, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) ducts can introduce rapidly varying temperature and relative humidity conditions, which may impact air quality readings and sensors inside the Atmocube. The air quality near doors, windows, and the inlets or exits of ducts may be overly affected by outside sources and not accurately reflect the typical air quality parameter concentrations inside buildings.
So, it is recommended to avoid placing Atmocube in such areas and direct sunlight, as sunlight can affect temperature readings and more. Atmocube should be placed at least 1 m (3.3 ft) away from operable windows, air filters, and fresh-air diffusers. In areas where this is not possible, the device must be located closer to air returns than diffusers.
To summarize, Atmocube must be placed, taking into account
Elevated CO2 and VOC levels are the main culprits behind lowering productivity levels in the workplace. High particulate matter (PM) concentrations are also known to cause productivity problems, but these are generally lower in well-maintained offices.
VOCs can be produced at work by office supplies, furniture, and building materials that emit chemical compounds. Indoor CO2 concentrations are usually elevated due to the building’s occupants exhaling carbon dioxide. The average adult’s breath contains about 35,000 to 50,000 ppm of CO2, which is 100 times higher than outdoor air. CO2 can build up if there is not enough ventilation to remove the CO2 being continuously generated by people.
Studies have demonstrated that the effects of CO2, VOC levels, and ventilation rate on cognitive function are all significant and distinct. Cognitive performance can be markedly improved by lower CO2 and VOC levels. According to this Harvard study, "higher cognitive performance" can result in productivity gains that are worth, on average, $6,500 per person per year.
Source: ASHRAE
Atmocube helps keep track of CO2, VOC, formaldehyde, and particulate matter (PM) levels while giving you insights into humidity, temperature, noise levels, and atmospheric pressure.
Atmocube also allows for the setting of alerts when CO2 or other air pollutant concentrations reach a certain level. On-device indicators will display the air quality parameter status using a color-coded system.
Atmocube also enables customization of the color thresholds for each parameter using a configuration tool.
The placement of the air quality monitors is crucial. The air quality readings must accurately reflect the actual conditions that employees are exposed to. To ensure accurate readings, please follow the general placement guidelines.
In an office setting, Atmocube should be placed in regularly occupied spaces and open areas. We recommend installing the device in areas such as
Atmocube should not be installed in areas that are not going to be regularly occupied by people. These can be storage rooms or locker rooms. However, if monitoring air quality and pollutant levels in such areas is needed, Atmocube may be installed in these areas.
The WELL building standard recommends installing an air quality monitor every 3500 square feet (325 square meters).
The RESET standard recommendation is 5,382 square feet (500 square meters).
The recommended coverage area for Atmocube is 3500 square feet (325 square meters), which means:
1 Atmocube is needed for an open area of 3500 square feet (325 square meters).
2 Atmocubes are needed for 2 separate conference rooms of 200 square feet (18 square meters)
Monitor density refers to the number and distribution of air quality monitoring stations in a particular space. Having a high monitor density means that there are more air quality monitors in a space, providing more accurate and detailed data on air quality by sampling more air. This can significantly impact the accuracy and reliability of the collected data.
To demonstrate how monitor placement could be optimized for maximum coverage or cost-effective insights, the following sample floor plans and examples are provided:
Total coverage: Atmocubes are installed throughout the whole space. The more monitors installed in a space, the better the overall IAQ picture will be based on their combined readings.
Atmocube allows the addition of floor plans to the Atmocube Dashboard account to visualize installation and, later, the easy location and tracking of readings from each monitor placed throughout a floor.
Cost-effective insight: An Atmocube in a critical space gives insight into whether the space is properly ventilated while occupied.
Indoor air quality monitoring to monitor CO2 and PM levels can be critical to ensuring that remote productivity levels remain high.
Higher levels of CO2 have an impact on remote working from a home office located in a small apartment, a spare bedroom, or, worse yet, a closet. When working, we rarely consider opening a window or turning on the air conditioning unless the temperature is particularly uncomfortable. If you spend hours in a home office with the door shut, windows closed, and no AC, the CO2 levels in your office are likely draining you. While solving the CO2 issue can be as simple as opening a door or a window to ventilate, the first step is “seeing” the invisible. Monitoring particulate matter (PM), TVOC content, relative humidity, and temperature is important in a home office environment.
For example, let's say you have an IAQ monitor in your home office, and it alerts you to high levels of VOCs in the air. You can use this information to take steps to reduce the levels of these pollutants, such as by opening a window or increasing ventilation. Alternatively, you could consider using air-purifying plants or an air purifier to help filter out these pollutants.
In a home office environment, Atmocube can be placed on the work table or mounted on a wall in the workspace. To ensure accurate readings, please follow the general placement guidelines.
Atmocube can be placed on the work desk or mounted on the wall, as seen in the illustrations:
According to a CDC study, adults who had the COVID-19 virus were twice as likely to have eaten out at a restaurant in the two weeks before becoming infected. Many people still view eating indoors as risky, and therefore, evaluating the air quality in your restaurant and adhering to sensible guidelines can go a long way in fostering customer confidence.
Sharing air quality data and our Airborne Viral Transmission Index (AVTI) can bring peace of mind to employees and customers about the health of your commercial spaces. Atmocube can help pinpoint high-risk areas, be it cooking activities that necessitate increased ventilation in the kitchen or dining areas with increased viral transmission risks.
A recent study using the Atmotube PRO to monitor air quality during cooking classes in lab kitchens showed that TVOCs accumulate from cooking over time, and the HVAC system can be crucial in providing enough ventilation to air out the kitchen.
Occupancy levels in the dining areas affect levels of carbon dioxide, temperature, and humidity, all of which can contribute to viral transmission risk.
The dining area is the main hotspot where monitoring is essential in commercial spaces. To ensure accurate readings, please follow the general placement guidelines.
The placement height could be a bit higher (5.6 feet) in the kitchen, where occupants would spend most of their time standing, and lower (3.6–5.6 feet) in the dining area, where occupants would spend most of their time sitting.
The recommended coverage area for Atmocube is 3500 square feet (325 square meters), which means:
1 Atmocube would be needed for an open dining area of 3500 square feet (325 square meters).
2 Atmocubes are needed for 2 separate kitchens of 200 square feet (18 square meters) each.
Below is a sample floor plan with the recommended coverage area and monitor density:
Children spend much of the important parts of their lives in a school building, breathing in the classroom air.
Failure to prevent or respond promptly to indoor air quality problems can thus increase long- and short-term health effects for students and staff, which can:
Nearly 1 in 13 children of school age has asthma, which is the leading cause of school absenteeism due to chronic illness. There is substantial evidence that indoor environmental exposure to allergens (such as dust mites, pests, and molds) plays a role in triggering asthma symptoms.
Inadequate ventilation coupled with high classroom occupancy creates an environment with high levels of CO2. Outdoor sources of pollution can cause elevated PM levels since outdoor air enters school buildings through windows, doors, and ventilation systems. Unlike other buildings, managing the indoor air quality in schools can be challenging due to the occupants being close together, with the typical school having approximately four times as many occupants as office buildings for the same amount of floor space.
A healthy indoor environment and good indoor air quality can support schools in achieving their main objective of educating children. Read our blog article about how air quality monitoring can help school facility managers create safer and healthier environments for students, teachers, and staff.
Atmocube tracks CO2, fine particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, and PM10), formaldehyde, relative humidity, temperature, light intensity, and even noise levels.
Monitoring the indoor air in schools is just the first step in successful indoor air quality management. For gaining valuable, actionable insights and identifying trends, please follow the general placement guidelines.
Atmocube should be placed in areas where students and staff congregate. This includes classrooms, staff rooms, libraries, gymnasiums, cafeterias, auditoriums, and laboratories.
Placement in the vicinity of an emission source will result in higher recorded concentrations than those obtained at other locations in the same room. For example, measuring formaldehyde in close proximity to a piece of new furniture made of particle board can produce an overestimate of the formaldehyde exposure of individuals present in the room.
Sometimes, to avoid tampering by pupils, the placement height may be higher than the breathing zone height; however, Atmocube gives you the option to turn the main button functions on and off, thus preventing any potential tampering.
The recommended coverage area for Atmocube is 3500 square feet (325 square meters), which means:
1 Atmocube would be needed for an open classroom of 3500 square feet (325 square meters).
2 Atmocubes are needed for 2 separate classrooms of 200 square feet (18 square meters) each.
To demonstrate how monitor placement could be optimized for maximum coverage or cost-effective insights, the following sample floor plan is provided:
Research has shown that 96.7% of homes have at least one of six indoor air quality problems ー particle allergens, chemical pollutants, carbon dioxide, temperature, humidity, and carbon monoxide.
As people spend up to 90% of their time indoors, almost anyone can be at risk due to poor indoor air quality. Indoor air pollution and its effects on health are of particular concern to you if you or a family member has allergies or asthma, or if you have young children or elderly relatives living in your home.
Health effects associated with indoor air pollutants include
Pollutants that affect indoor air quality in homes can come from indoor and outdoor sources.
Indoor air pollution sources:
Outdoor air pollution sources:
Often, we do not realize that the air quality in our homes could be affecting our daily behavior, health, and more. Effective and accurate indoor air quality monitoring alerts homeowners to the level and nature of pollution, enabling corrective action. Insufficiencies can be found only with real-time and continuous monitoring.
Atmocube tracks CO2, fine particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, and PM10), formaldehyde, relative humidity, temperature, light intensity, and even noise levels. Options with CO and O3 sensors are also available. Simple, color-coded air quality indicators make it easier to get a quick, one-glance view of your surroundings. These color-coded indicators can also be turned off to avoid sleep disturbances in the bedroom.
For useful air quality data insights, please follow the general placement guidelines.
Atmocube should be placed in rooms that are regularly occupied by you and your family; however, it can also be placed in areas such as the basement to monitor temperature and humidity levels over time.
In the bedroom, where you spend most of your time lying, Atmocube could be placed at eye level so that it may sample the air you breathe.
The recommended coverage area for Atmocube is 3500 square feet (325 square meters); however, in general, it is recommended that the coverage area of IAQ monitors be much lower than 3500 square feet (at least 60 square feet) for sensitive groups such as seniors and asthma patients. This is because sensitive individuals may be more susceptible to the adverse effects of indoor air pollutants, even at low levels, and may require more frequent monitoring of the air quality in their immediate surroundings, which is possible with a higher monitor density that enables more frequent sampling of the surrounding air.
Placing IAQ monitors in areas where these individuals spend most of their time, using multiple monitors in smaller, more targeted areas, and considering various factors that affect IAQ readings can help ensure a healthy and safe indoor environment for all.
Here's an illustration of the kind of information and recommendations that Atmocube can offer for every room in your home:
