So recently it was my birthday, and it was hard to think of what people could give me as a present. I am pretty simple and don’t really want things, except for way expensive gear and tools, but I already have most of what I want. And, well, nobody’s going to give me a car. As I spend a lot of time in my office, I value peace of mind and focus. Only when my girlfriend joined me in my office did I notice she often found it too hot or ‘benauwd’ (stuffy) as we say in Dutch like there’s no air in the room. When you’re in the room for a long time, you don’t notice it, but fresh air is actually really important to keep a clear mind and prevent CO2 buildup. To focus well and get in the zone, you need fresh air. In the summer, it’s pretty easy with the windows open, but in winter, with high energy prices and cold outside, you tend to keep windows closed. Also, sometimes cold air feels fresh but is it, really? To give you some context: a few years ago, during elections in the Netherlands (where it’s common for elementary schools to be used as voting places), I noticed something different when I walked in. The first thing I saw were these elaborate metal pipes and tubes running throughout the hallways and classrooms. They were retrofitted in (what wasn’t even a very old school). After talking to some people, I found out the Dutch government made a rule that, from July 1, 2025, it’s mandatory to have a CO2 monitor in classrooms. Since 2022, schools have gotten help with purchasing ventilation and air quality systems to optimize the air in rooms. You can imagine that with 20 to 30 people breathing in a room, the air quality drops pretty fast. This got me thinking: how was the air in my office while I worked there all day? Sometimes I get worn out but was that because of hard work or just slowly suffocating myself? If you know me a little, you know I love gadgets and smart home stuff. Yes, I’m a geek and a little bit lazy. I love not having to stand up to turn off a light. So when my girlfriend asked what present I wanted, I said I’d love a gadget that measures the air quality in the room and she got me one. It’s called a Switchbot Meter Pro (CO2 monitor), and cost about 60 euros with a discount. Not cheap, but way less expensive than those measuring systems meant for schools. (Note: I’m not sponsored, though they would make a good sponsor. @switchbot, please slide into my DMs I’m getting broke.) The device displays 5 things: CO2, temperature, humidity, time/date, and comfort levels. It measures CO2 in ppm (parts per million) within a 400–9999 range, and gives alerts if the levels aren’t good. I looked up what levels are considered okay. 250-400ppm Normal background concentration in outdoor ambient air 400-1,000ppm Concentrations typical of occupied indoor spaces with good air exchange 1,000-2,000ppm Complaints of drowsiness and poor air. 2,000-5,000 ppm Headaches, sleepiness and stagnant, stale, stuffy air. Poor concentration, loss of attention, increased heart rate and slight nausea may also be present. 5,000 Workplace exposure limit (as 8-hour TWA) in most jurisdictions. >40,000 ppm Exposure may lead to serious oxygen deprivation resulting in permanent brain damage, coma, even death. So if I’m not exceeding 1000 ppm, I’m good. After using it for a few days, it’s interesting to see that when I’m not in my room, the CO2 is around 400 ppm. But after working for a while, you can see it clearly rise. So far, I haven’t seen it go over 1000 ppm, which is nice it’s good to know I’m not suffocating my brain. I’ll keep an eye on it over time. Soon I’ll have a birthday with lots of family over, and I’m really curious how it will go. I’ll try to keep you updated! Update I have been using the meter for around 3 weeks now, placing it around the house. The average air quality CO2 is now around 600-700, which is higher than before (400-500). I think this is because I am now working in my office and have turned the heat on. I read that CO2 tends to accumulate at the ceiling, so with the heat on, it gets dispersed and reaches the meter more, giving a higher reading. I also measured CO2 with two people working in the room, and it reached 900 ppm, which seems okay considering 400 ppm is the neutral level. The most interesting thing was when I started playing 'REPO,' a horror game. Apparently, I was so focused or spooked that the CO2 level rose to 700-900 ppm (me alone), which was pretty interesting to see, almost like I was exercising. It makes sense, since being so focused on not dying in the game made my breathing heavier. Ironically, that probably made me die faster in real life, lol. By the way, hit me up on Steam if you want:https://steamcommunity.com/id/blacklightzone I also tried the meter in my bedroom, since I suspected there might be ventilation issues. After a full night’s sleep with two people (about 8 hours), it went up to 1100 ppm, Not great, not terrible. But then, I closed one of the ventilation holes in my window the next night because there was a big storm and the shades were making an annoying noise. The next morning I woke up (luckily) to see it had gone up to 3600 ppm, lol. This kinda reminded me of those scenes from the Chernobyl HBO series. It definitely made me more aware of air quality in general. Also, when I worked at different locations, I started thinking about it more. There was definitely a meeting room where we probably had 9999 ppm or something, because everyone was getting flushed, a little frustrated, and had headaches even though the temperature wasn’t that high. Then the final test, my birthday. I was actually pretty interested how this would go. As my living room is way bigger than my office, but the amount of people was 10. It was pretty interesting to see how the air changed when everyone was inside. On the graph, you can clearly see when people started arriving. The highest it got was around 1450 ppm. After that, and noticing my own reaction to the fresh air, it definitely made me more aware of how my body and brain respond to better air. It’s something I never noticed before (sounds a bit floaty, but it’s true). Another thing I noticed was that the temperature in the room went up all the way to 24.0°C from 19.0°C, without the heat on in the house. That makes sense, but it made me wonder how it works. I learned that one person in a room generates about 100 watts of heat at rest (and about 300 watts when active). So during a busy birthday, with everyone talking, maybe each person was generating around 150 watts. With 10 people, that’s like having a 1500-watt heater running. And as the room gets warmer, everyone starts generating even more heat. The sharp decline happened because opened a big window to let in some fresh air. You can call me a geek, but I think it's really fun to see real-life data in graphs like this. It kind of feels like looking at YouTube analytics charts. I like data.
