Making ventilation in offices a national sport

We have long been professionals at keeping our distance, washing our hands and wearing masks. Ventilation, on the other hand, is something many of us don't think about. Not yet. But numerous studies show that the coronavirus can also be transmitted via aerosols. Germany was the first country to declare ventilation as one of the five main measures to contain the coronavirus. After the lockdown in the spring, it is clear to many that we want to be able to continue visiting our parents and grandparents in nursing homes, send our children to school, and share the office with our colleagues as a change from the home office.

With fresh air against Corona

Particularly in rooms with many people, such as classrooms, meeting rooms, open-plan offices, co-working spaces, restaurants, hospitals and retirement and care centers, a lack of fresh air can quickly lead to an increased risk of infection with the coronavirus. Even when distance is maintained and hands are diligently washed. This is because we spread aerosols through the air we breathe out. Coronaviruses also enter the air through these. By ventilating, we can reduce the amount of aerosols in the air. And thus also the risk of infection with the coronavirus. Proper ventilation in offices is therefore the motto for the coming fall and winter months. As simple as it may seem, proper and effective ventilation is not that easy.

Know when it's time to ventilate offices

The CO2 concentration is a reliable indicator of when and how much fresh air supply is needed. And this is exactly where CARU air comes in. "With CARU air, we don't just want to measure the CO2 concentration in the air," says Susanne Dröscher, co-CEO of CARU AG. "We want to incorporate ventilation into everyday life in a playful way and make it a team sport - for young and old." The CARU air CO2 measuring device works like a traffic light: it's time to ventilate at yellow (1000 - 1399 ppm CO2) at the earliest and red (> 1400 ppm CO2) at the latest. CARU air is more or less a "side kick" to CARU AG's core product, a voice-controlled emergency call for seniors with chat function. "The step from a voice-controlled emergency call to a CO2 measuring device may seem big from the outside. In fact, by turning our vision into the core product, everything needed for a cool CO2 meter was already there: an award-winning design and a high-quality CO2 sensor from Sensirion," says Thomas Helbling, co-CEO of CARU AG. The high-quality sensor from the world's leading manufacturer of digital microsensors, headquartered in Switzerland, ensures that CARU air determines the CO2 concentration accurately and reliably.

First units already successfully in operation

For a few weeks now, the first CARU airs have been installed in selected schools, retirement homes, offices and doctors' surgeries. The feedback: positive across the board. Jan Hollenstein, Managing Director of
Tertianum Residenz Segeten says: "Since the spring, the demands relating to the pandemic have steadily increased for the employees. They have to pay attention to many things at the same time. CARU air makes it easy for us in terms of ventilation and therefore ideally complements our protection concept." The first pre-orders from large companies such as units at ETH Zurich have already arrived. CARU air can be conveniently ordered online: www.caruair.com.