Carbon Dioxide Concentration Levels and Thermal Comfort in Primary School Classrooms: What Pupils and Teachers Do

Maria Gabriela Zapata-Lancaster (), Miltiadis Ionas, Oluyemi Toyinbo and Thomas Aneurin Smith
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Maria Gabriela Zapata-Lancaster: Welsh School of Architecture and School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK
Miltiadis Ionas: Welsh School of Architecture and School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK
Oluyemi Toyinbo: Welsh School of Architecture and School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK
Thomas Aneurin Smith: Welsh School of Architecture and School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3NB, UK

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-38

Abstract: The current climate emergency concerns and the COVID-19 pandemic demand urgent action to maintain healthy indoor environments in energy efficient ways. Promoting good indoor environments, in particular, increasing ventilation levels, has been a prominent strategy to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission indoors. However, this strategy could be detrimental to thermal comfort, particularly during the heating season in buildings located in temperate climate zones. This paper presents research conducted in two primary schools in South Wales (UK) where the temperature, relative humidity and the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentration levels were monitored. The study monitored six classrooms and two communal spaces in the two schools during the academic year 2021/2022, the first academic year back to teaching and learning in school buildings after home-schooling and educational disruptions due to COVID-19 lockdowns. The study investigated the actions taken by teachers and pupils to balance the thermal comfort needs while minimising CO 2 concentration levels. We conducted user studies to explore the comfort perceptions by pupils and teachers in relation to the thermal conditions and the freshness of air in the monitored classrooms. The paper identifies opportunities where end-users, teachers and pupils engaged with the management of the indoor environmental conditions and adopted actions to balance the requirement of reducing CO 2 concentration levels while promoting thermal comfort. This research offers lessons and insights related to end-users’ agency and their understanding of indoor environments and thermal experience in schools.

Keywords: CO 2 concentration indoors; thermal comfort; school buildings; monitoring (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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