CIB Conferences
Abstract
There has been an evolving discussion regarding indoor air quality (IAQ) challenges in buildings through the outbreak of the most recent pandemic and other respiratory illnesses. Proper management of indoor environmental factors is crucial for maintaining a healthy indoor environment while also optimizing energy usage. One of the key factors affecting indoor air quality is CO2 concentration, where controlling its levels within acceptable ranges over time is essential to maintain occupants’ cognitive performance. The use of multiple CO2 sensors for more precise IAQ monitoring or installation of variable speed air systems that adjust the ventilation needs at any given time has limitations due to their relatively high cost and are missing in most existing buildings. Therefore, there is indeed a need for a simpler, yet sufficiently accurate and affordable approach to assess actual CO2 levels to keep them below the acceptable CO2 thresholds. In this study, we propose a machine learning method as an alternative approach to provide better control over CO2 concentration based on assessing the importance of other indoor environmental factors in real-time predictions. The obtained results reveal a strong correlation between CO2 concentrations and indoor temperature variations as a possible proxy, combined with fan coil unit (FCU) speeds and absolute humidity (AH) in a case study with a DOAS system.
The paper will be presented:
In-person
Primary U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Good Health and Well-being - - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Secondary U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure - - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Primary CIB Task Group OR Working commission
W070 – Facilities Management and Maintenance
Secondary CIB Task Group OR Working commission
W098 – Intelligent and Responsive Buildings
Recommended Citation
Ghazanfari, Niloufar and Reichard, Georg
(2025)
"An Approach for Assessing Occupancy and Indoor CO₂ Concentrations Based on Alternative Environmental Metrics Through Machine Learning,"
CIB Conferences: Vol. 1
Article 101.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7771/3067-4883.2034