Low-cost CO2 sensor promises to cut energy use in buildings
The sensor is designed to help cut down on energy consumption through heating and ventilation systems used to manage climate control and indoor air quality, especially those in large office and hospitality industry buildings. Developed with the support of the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), the Purdue CO2 sensor, say the researchers, could change the way energy is used to heat, cool, and ventilate large buildings and eventually homes.
“Climate control and proper ventilation are especially important because most people spend considerably more time indoors than outside,” says Jeff Rhoads, a professor of mechanical engineering in Purdue’s College of Engineering. “Climate control and ventilation are also huge sources of energy consumption in the United States and around the world.”
The technology identifies when carbon dioxide is released into the air by a person, or people entering and breathing inside that space. The sensor detects the carbon dioxide so that heating and ventilation systems can control the climate and air turnover in spaces that are occupied, instead of using energy to control rooms that are empty.
“We leverage two technologies with our innovative device: resonant sensing and resistive sensing,” says Rhoads, a leading sensor researcher who serves as the director of Purdue’s Ray W. Herrick Labs. “We use them in combination to detect carbon dioxide. This is a great alternative to available technologies that may not reliably measure carbon dioxide while remaining competitive in cost and power consumption.”
The researchers add that their sensor also helps address privacy concerns about using camera technology for detecting when someone enters and leaves a room. Looking ahead, the researchers say they are working to integrate the sensor with other Internet of Things (IoT) building technology.
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