Air quality in times of Covid, a new economic vein

At the world real estate fair Mipim, from March 15 to 18 in Cannes, a strange form of bird is perched on the stand of the Danish company Leapcraft.

It is actually a CO2 sensor, which above a certain concentration in the air begins to chirp, a sign that it is time to ventilate or go out for fresh air.

The company offers several models: the bird, the most playful, is intended for the general public or schools. Others, for offices, look more like an internet box, to be fixed to the wall or ceiling. They are connected in a network and can capture other data.

Since the end of 2020, Leapcraft has seen its sales triple and this without having been able to meet all the demand, the fault of the world shortage of semiconductors, assures AFP its boss, Vinay Venkatraman.

"The tipping point was when we admitted that the Covid was transmitted through the air," he explains.

The coronavirus responsible for Covid-19 is transmitted mainly by aerosols, ultra-light particles which accumulate and remain suspended in the air of a poorly ventilated room.

Measuring the CO2 content is therefore a means of evaluating the renewal of indoor air, and therefore the risk of contagion.

“What the pandemic has changed the most is that + normal people + talk about ventilation, says Vinay Venkatraman. Before, people who talked about ventilation were only those with respiratory problems, allergies …”

"An alarm clock"

Demands related to air quality often come under pressure from employees, testify the companies met by AFP.

"We have (requests) particularly in a few countries such as France, the Netherlands, Belgium", explains Aakash Ravi, founder of the Dutch company Spaceti, which specializes in the collection and exploitation of data for buildings in offices.

"It is important because the level of CO2 is not exactly regulated, for these customers, it is rather a request from employees," he says.

“Everyone is concerned about health in their buildings now, much more than before the Covid. It is undoubtedly a big change”, also assures William Cowell de Gruchy, founder of the British company Infogrid, also specialized in the exploitation of data for buildings.

And among the different types of devices it offers, those for controlling air quality now hold the upper hand.

Before the pandemic, they were the third most requested product, behind... those used to detect legionellosis, a disease often caused by poorly adjusted air conditioners or faulty pipes.

Infogrid offers its customers to cross the CO2 rate with those of humidity and temperature, for a finer estimate of the viral risk.

"The pandemic was a wake-up call and it's becoming the norm for companies around the world. They're not going to go back and neglect air quality anymore," wants to believe William Cowell of Gruchy.