Examining Architectural Air and Temperature with Novel Sensing Techniques

We have developed novel sensing techniques to understand mean radiant temperature and indoor air quality for a holistic understanding of indoor environment quality. A novel scanning mean radiant temperature sensor provides a spatially resolved description of the radiant heat transfer from all surfaces in a space. A low-cost deployable indoor air quality (iAQ) sensor system is capable of measuring CO2, VOC, CO, NOx, Formaldehyde, temperature and humidity. We claim the associated results of these two projects can radically improve building control algorithms, as well as inform the planning process of new buildings. We present the findings from developing and deploying the novel scanning sensor and the indoor air quality system. We demonstrate that these tools make it possible to discover sources of pollution, optimize air quality, increase system performance, and improve energy efficiency. The sensors are described and preliminary data presented.