Standard Guide for Using Indoor Carbon Dioxide Concentrations to Evaluate Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation

1.1 This guide describes how measured values of indoor carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations can be used in evaluation of indoor air quality and building ventilation.

1.2 This guide describes the determination of CO₂ generation rates from people as a function of body size and level of physical activity.

1.3 This guide describes the experimentally-determined relationship between CO₂ concentrations and the acceptability of a space in terms of human body odor.

1.4 This guide describes the following uses of indoor CO₂ concentrations to evaluate building ventilation-mass balance analysis to determine the percent outdoor air intake at an air handler, the tracer gas decay technique to estimate whole building air change rates, and the constant injection tracer gas technique at equilibrium to estimate whole building air change rates.

1.5 This guide discusses the use of continuous monitoring of indoor and outdoor CO₂ concentrations as a means of evaluating building ventilation and indoor air quality.

1.6 This guide discusses some concentration measurement issues, but it does not include or recommend a method for measuring CO₂ concentrations.

1.7 This guide does not address the use of indoor CO₂ to control outdoor air intake rates.

1.8 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.