Demand Controlled Ventilation Download Vaisala DCV eGuide Achieve energy efficiency and employee well-being with accurate CO2 measurements Insufficient ventilation causes human-produced carbon dioxide to build up indoors, decreasing employee well-being and productivity substantially. With accurate CO2 measurement, both energy efficiency and employee well-being can be achieved simultaneously. Green building initiatives, like the US Green Building Council’s LEEDv4, British BREEAM and Australian Energy Rating all encourage commercial constructors and building operators to reduce their impact on environment by increasing their energy efficiency. Especially LEED v4 stresses the importance of precise ventilation automation control using accurate sensors. Also the ASHRAE Green Standard 189.1 (USA) and the European standard EN 13779 recommend using demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) primarily to reduce energy usage while promoting healthy indoor air. Demand-Controlled Ventilation and Energy Efficiency Demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) is proven to have a huge impact on HVAC systems’ energy efficiency. The US Department of Energy conducted a research on energy savings and economics of advanced control strategies for HVAC in 2011. The research concluded that DCV contributes to the biggest energy savings in HVAC in small office buildings, strip malls, stand-alone retails and supermarkets compared to other advanced automated ventilation strategies. Average cost savings of using demand-controlled ventilation were calculated to be 38% for all commercial building types, which is a very significant number. The amount depends on the climate, of course; demand-controlled ventilation is most efficient in cold climates, and coupling it with multi-speed fan control will bring more benefits also in hot climates. Demand-Controlled Ventilation and Employee Productivity Studies indicate that better indoor air and ventilation also has a positive impact on employee productivity. The Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) conducted a comparison between better buildings and other employee strategies, like workplace health programs and bonuses. With a meta-study of 500 different studies, they found that better buildings increase productivity by 2%–10%. The Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (REHVA) state that decreased ventilation lowers productivity, for example, typing speed, by 10%. The US Green Building Council conducted a meta-study in 2003 and concluded that delivery of fresh air and reduced levels of pollutants improve productivity by 11%. According to the analysis of the Carnegie Mellon University, better ventilation improves productivity by 3%–18%. To sum it up, the productivity gains of better ventilation range between 2% and 18%, according to many studies. A study conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in 2015 focused on the effects indoor air quality has on employees’ cognitive abilities. The extensive study setting simulated office conditions and compared conventional offices to WWF Green and Green+ offices. Cognitive scores in crisis response, information usage and strategy, among other variables, were evaluated on the test subjects. The results of the NIEHS study show how cognitive skills are decreased by the increase of carbon dioxide in indoor air. This finding shows that strategic skills, for example, are decreased only to 20% in indoor air with a 1,400 ppm concentration of CO2 compared to the normal outdoor level of 400 ppm. Some of the more mechanical skills, like information seeking and task orientation, were not affected much. However, cognitive skills that require more advanced application of information, such as crisis response, information usage, and strategy, are affected the most. The study shows clearly that handling more advanced tasks becomes much more difficult when the carbon dioxide levels rise in indoor air. How Does Demand-Controlled Ventilation Work? In DCV the ventilation intensity is adjusted to correspond to the true need in order to save energy. It has clear advantages especially when occupancy varies widely, such as in schools, conference centers, and auditoriums. The CO2 level in a space indicates human presence and can be used to control ventilation. The efficiency of DCV can only be optimized by accurate carbon dioxide sensing. Vaisala CARBOCAP® technology delivers maintenance-free accuracy and performance that lasts. The CO2 sensors can be used in a wide variety of applications, including variable outdoor CO2 levels or facilities with around-the-clock occupancy such as hospitals, workplaces, and residential buildings. View All HVAC Instruments Demand Controlled Ventilation related products CO2, Temperature and Humidity Transmitter Series GMW90 The wall-mounted Vaisala GMW90 Series CARBOCAP® Carbon Dioxide, Temperature and Humidity Transmitters are especially suited for green building projects and demand controlled ventilation. Read more CO2, Humidity and Temperature Transmitter Series GMW80 Measuring CO2 is the most economical way to monitor both indoor air quality (IAQ) and human presence with one sensor. Read more CO₂ Transmitter Series GMD20 Note that the GMD20 is being discontinued. The duct-mounted Vaisala CARBOCAP® Carbon Dioxide Transmitter Series GMD20 are specially designed for demand-controlled ventilation (DCV). Read more Duct Humidity and Temperature Transmitter HMD60 The sturdy and reliable duct mounted Vaisala HUMICAP® Humidity Transmitter Series HMD60 is designed for monitoring relative humidity in demanding HVAC and light industrial applications Read more Related stories Customer case The Ryoki Kogyo Co., Ltd. helps to create optimal living and working environments Developing infection control measures The Ryoki Kogyo Co., Ltd. has been around since 1930. Originally a manufacturer of refrigeration equipment... Read more Blog | Mar 22, 2022 Lowering infection risk with smart ventilation Download the article as pdf As countries emerge from the pandemic, it will be interesting to see what the ‘new normal’ looks like. Will workers... Read more Press Release | Aug 19, 2021 Most people worry about indoor air quality amidst the COVID-19 pandemic Vaisala Press release August 19, 2021 Most people worry about indoor air... Read more Blog | Mar 15, 2021 Enabling data center continuity with Vaisala sensors When it comes to operating a data center at full efficiency, maintaining a controlled environment with reliable and accurate sensors is critical... Read more Customer case Why climate control systems provider Damatex chose Vaisala sensors for their greenhouse customers Climate control systems are revolutionizing greenhouses, HVAC and building automation. Read how Damatex uses Vaisala technology to achieve... Read more Blog | Aug 25, 2020 Do I need an Indigo transmitter or just an Indigo probe? The Vaisala Indigo family is a modular solution with interchangeable probes, smart transmitters, and Indigo Insight PC software. There are many... Read more Blog | Jun 16, 2020 Built to survive, even outside: the Vaisala Indigo500 Series Some of our customers have applications that require measurement transmitters to be installed outside, so the Vaisala Indigo500 and its family... Read more Blog | May 19, 2020 Indigo500 series dual-probe support Dual-probe support refers to the ability of a single transmitter or monitoring device to interface with two independent measurement devices, and... Read more Blog | Jan 13, 2020 Common pitfalls when installing HVAC outdoor sensors This is the third in a series of three blog posts looking at common pitfalls when installing HVAC sensors, focusing on physical measurement... Read more Blog | Nov 26, 2019 Common pitfalls when installing HVAC wall sensors This is the first of a series of three blog posts looking at common pitfalls when installing HVAC sensors, focusing on physical measurement... Read more Blog | Aug 12, 2019 Choose the Right CO2 Sensor for Your HVAC Application The environment in which you’re measuring CO2 plays an important role in determining the best choice of sensor for your application. In this... Read more Blog | Jun 3, 2019 How CARBOCAP Can Help with HVAC CO2 Measurements CO2 sensors are central in reducing energy consumption using demand-controlled ventilation (DCV). As the measurement directly controls the... Read more Press Release | Apr 29, 2019 Vaisala Widens Its Product Offering for Demanding HVAC and Light Industrial Applications Vaisala Press Release April 29, 2019 Vaisala Widens Its Product Offering... Read more Blog | Mar 18, 2019 Why Do We Measure CO₂ in HVAC Applications? Measuring CO₂ in HVAC applications Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is typically not considered a challenging application area... Read more Blog | Oct 24, 2018 Why is measuring CO2 important? Most of us know that CO₂ is a colorless, odorless gas that’s soluble in water and often seen as the bubbles in fizzy drinks. But it’s also a... Read more Blog | Jul 30, 2018 Gaining In-depth Understanding of the Problem is The Key - Millennium Technology Prize Winner Tuomo Suntola interviewed Doctor Tuomo Suntola, who this spring received the prestigious 2018 Millennium Technology Prize for his technology of atomic layer deposition... Read more Customer case Vaisala equips the New Children´s Hospital in Helsinki Vaisala was the honorary in-kind donator for the New Children’s Hospital that was built in Helsinki. The construction commenced already in 2014... Read more Blog | Oct 27, 2017 Sensor maintenance for optimal energy savings in HVAC Advanced control regimes such as Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV) and free cooling are gaining popularity as the pressure to reduce energy... Read more Blog | Oct 24, 2017 Indoor Air Measurements - Get control of your building system Buildings must be made smarter to save energy and keep their inhabitants happy and healthy. To achieve sustainable results, building system... Read more Customer case How Shenzhen Subway keeps it cool A quickly growing subway system in southern China chose Vaisala’s humidity and temperature transmitters for its air conditioning control system... Read more Customer case Keeping data centers cool Increasing demand for data processing and storage capacity has led to major companies investing in new facilities that provide web-based... Read more Blog | May 19, 2015 Take a peek inside a Vaisala cleanroom: a video tour of our research, development and manufacturing facilities In this 3-minute video our Facility Manager Hannu dons a bunny suit and gives a tour of the facilities where Vaisala creates some of the world's... Read more
Demand Controlled Ventilation related products CO2, Temperature and Humidity Transmitter Series GMW90 The wall-mounted Vaisala GMW90 Series CARBOCAP® Carbon Dioxide, Temperature and Humidity Transmitters are especially suited for green building projects and demand controlled ventilation. Read more CO2, Humidity and Temperature Transmitter Series GMW80 Measuring CO2 is the most economical way to monitor both indoor air quality (IAQ) and human presence with one sensor. Read more CO₂ Transmitter Series GMD20 Note that the GMD20 is being discontinued. The duct-mounted Vaisala CARBOCAP® Carbon Dioxide Transmitter Series GMD20 are specially designed for demand-controlled ventilation (DCV). Read more Duct Humidity and Temperature Transmitter HMD60 The sturdy and reliable duct mounted Vaisala HUMICAP® Humidity Transmitter Series HMD60 is designed for monitoring relative humidity in demanding HVAC and light industrial applications Read more
CO2, Temperature and Humidity Transmitter Series GMW90 The wall-mounted Vaisala GMW90 Series CARBOCAP® Carbon Dioxide, Temperature and Humidity Transmitters are especially suited for green building projects and demand controlled ventilation. Read more
CO2, Humidity and Temperature Transmitter Series GMW80 Measuring CO2 is the most economical way to monitor both indoor air quality (IAQ) and human presence with one sensor. Read more
CO₂ Transmitter Series GMD20 Note that the GMD20 is being discontinued. The duct-mounted Vaisala CARBOCAP® Carbon Dioxide Transmitter Series GMD20 are specially designed for demand-controlled ventilation (DCV). Read more
Duct Humidity and Temperature Transmitter HMD60 The sturdy and reliable duct mounted Vaisala HUMICAP® Humidity Transmitter Series HMD60 is designed for monitoring relative humidity in demanding HVAC and light industrial applications Read more
Related stories Customer case The Ryoki Kogyo Co., Ltd. helps to create optimal living and working environments Developing infection control measures The Ryoki Kogyo Co., Ltd. has been around since 1930. Originally a manufacturer of refrigeration equipment... Read more Blog | Mar 22, 2022 Lowering infection risk with smart ventilation Download the article as pdf As countries emerge from the pandemic, it will be interesting to see what the ‘new normal’ looks like. Will workers... Read more Press Release | Aug 19, 2021 Most people worry about indoor air quality amidst the COVID-19 pandemic Vaisala Press release August 19, 2021 Most people worry about indoor air... Read more Blog | Mar 15, 2021 Enabling data center continuity with Vaisala sensors When it comes to operating a data center at full efficiency, maintaining a controlled environment with reliable and accurate sensors is critical... Read more Customer case Why climate control systems provider Damatex chose Vaisala sensors for their greenhouse customers Climate control systems are revolutionizing greenhouses, HVAC and building automation. Read how Damatex uses Vaisala technology to achieve... Read more Blog | Aug 25, 2020 Do I need an Indigo transmitter or just an Indigo probe? The Vaisala Indigo family is a modular solution with interchangeable probes, smart transmitters, and Indigo Insight PC software. There are many... Read more Blog | Jun 16, 2020 Built to survive, even outside: the Vaisala Indigo500 Series Some of our customers have applications that require measurement transmitters to be installed outside, so the Vaisala Indigo500 and its family... Read more Blog | May 19, 2020 Indigo500 series dual-probe support Dual-probe support refers to the ability of a single transmitter or monitoring device to interface with two independent measurement devices, and... Read more Blog | Jan 13, 2020 Common pitfalls when installing HVAC outdoor sensors This is the third in a series of three blog posts looking at common pitfalls when installing HVAC sensors, focusing on physical measurement... Read more Blog | Nov 26, 2019 Common pitfalls when installing HVAC wall sensors This is the first of a series of three blog posts looking at common pitfalls when installing HVAC sensors, focusing on physical measurement... Read more Blog | Aug 12, 2019 Choose the Right CO2 Sensor for Your HVAC Application The environment in which you’re measuring CO2 plays an important role in determining the best choice of sensor for your application. In this... Read more Blog | Jun 3, 2019 How CARBOCAP Can Help with HVAC CO2 Measurements CO2 sensors are central in reducing energy consumption using demand-controlled ventilation (DCV). As the measurement directly controls the... Read more Press Release | Apr 29, 2019 Vaisala Widens Its Product Offering for Demanding HVAC and Light Industrial Applications Vaisala Press Release April 29, 2019 Vaisala Widens Its Product Offering... Read more Blog | Mar 18, 2019 Why Do We Measure CO₂ in HVAC Applications? Measuring CO₂ in HVAC applications Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is typically not considered a challenging application area... Read more Blog | Oct 24, 2018 Why is measuring CO2 important? Most of us know that CO₂ is a colorless, odorless gas that’s soluble in water and often seen as the bubbles in fizzy drinks. But it’s also a... Read more Blog | Jul 30, 2018 Gaining In-depth Understanding of the Problem is The Key - Millennium Technology Prize Winner Tuomo Suntola interviewed Doctor Tuomo Suntola, who this spring received the prestigious 2018 Millennium Technology Prize for his technology of atomic layer deposition... Read more Customer case Vaisala equips the New Children´s Hospital in Helsinki Vaisala was the honorary in-kind donator for the New Children’s Hospital that was built in Helsinki. The construction commenced already in 2014... Read more Blog | Oct 27, 2017 Sensor maintenance for optimal energy savings in HVAC Advanced control regimes such as Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV) and free cooling are gaining popularity as the pressure to reduce energy... Read more Blog | Oct 24, 2017 Indoor Air Measurements - Get control of your building system Buildings must be made smarter to save energy and keep their inhabitants happy and healthy. To achieve sustainable results, building system... Read more Customer case How Shenzhen Subway keeps it cool A quickly growing subway system in southern China chose Vaisala’s humidity and temperature transmitters for its air conditioning control system... Read more Customer case Keeping data centers cool Increasing demand for data processing and storage capacity has led to major companies investing in new facilities that provide web-based... Read more Blog | May 19, 2015 Take a peek inside a Vaisala cleanroom: a video tour of our research, development and manufacturing facilities In this 3-minute video our Facility Manager Hannu dons a bunny suit and gives a tour of the facilities where Vaisala creates some of the world's... Read more
Customer case The Ryoki Kogyo Co., Ltd. helps to create optimal living and working environments Developing infection control measures The Ryoki Kogyo Co., Ltd. has been around since 1930. Originally a manufacturer of refrigeration equipment... Read more
Blog | Mar 22, 2022 Lowering infection risk with smart ventilation Download the article as pdf As countries emerge from the pandemic, it will be interesting to see what the ‘new normal’ looks like. Will workers... Read more
Press Release | Aug 19, 2021 Most people worry about indoor air quality amidst the COVID-19 pandemic Vaisala Press release August 19, 2021 Most people worry about indoor air... Read more
Blog | Mar 15, 2021 Enabling data center continuity with Vaisala sensors When it comes to operating a data center at full efficiency, maintaining a controlled environment with reliable and accurate sensors is critical... Read more
Customer case Why climate control systems provider Damatex chose Vaisala sensors for their greenhouse customers Climate control systems are revolutionizing greenhouses, HVAC and building automation. Read how Damatex uses Vaisala technology to achieve... Read more
Blog | Aug 25, 2020 Do I need an Indigo transmitter or just an Indigo probe? The Vaisala Indigo family is a modular solution with interchangeable probes, smart transmitters, and Indigo Insight PC software. There are many... Read more
Blog | Jun 16, 2020 Built to survive, even outside: the Vaisala Indigo500 Series Some of our customers have applications that require measurement transmitters to be installed outside, so the Vaisala Indigo500 and its family... Read more
Blog | May 19, 2020 Indigo500 series dual-probe support Dual-probe support refers to the ability of a single transmitter or monitoring device to interface with two independent measurement devices, and... Read more
Blog | Jan 13, 2020 Common pitfalls when installing HVAC outdoor sensors This is the third in a series of three blog posts looking at common pitfalls when installing HVAC sensors, focusing on physical measurement... Read more
Blog | Nov 26, 2019 Common pitfalls when installing HVAC wall sensors This is the first of a series of three blog posts looking at common pitfalls when installing HVAC sensors, focusing on physical measurement... Read more
Blog | Aug 12, 2019 Choose the Right CO2 Sensor for Your HVAC Application The environment in which you’re measuring CO2 plays an important role in determining the best choice of sensor for your application. In this... Read more
Blog | Jun 3, 2019 How CARBOCAP Can Help with HVAC CO2 Measurements CO2 sensors are central in reducing energy consumption using demand-controlled ventilation (DCV). As the measurement directly controls the... Read more
Press Release | Apr 29, 2019 Vaisala Widens Its Product Offering for Demanding HVAC and Light Industrial Applications Vaisala Press Release April 29, 2019 Vaisala Widens Its Product Offering... Read more
Blog | Mar 18, 2019 Why Do We Measure CO₂ in HVAC Applications? Measuring CO₂ in HVAC applications Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is typically not considered a challenging application area... Read more
Blog | Oct 24, 2018 Why is measuring CO2 important? Most of us know that CO₂ is a colorless, odorless gas that’s soluble in water and often seen as the bubbles in fizzy drinks. But it’s also a... Read more
Blog | Jul 30, 2018 Gaining In-depth Understanding of the Problem is The Key - Millennium Technology Prize Winner Tuomo Suntola interviewed Doctor Tuomo Suntola, who this spring received the prestigious 2018 Millennium Technology Prize for his technology of atomic layer deposition... Read more
Customer case Vaisala equips the New Children´s Hospital in Helsinki Vaisala was the honorary in-kind donator for the New Children’s Hospital that was built in Helsinki. The construction commenced already in 2014... Read more
Blog | Oct 27, 2017 Sensor maintenance for optimal energy savings in HVAC Advanced control regimes such as Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV) and free cooling are gaining popularity as the pressure to reduce energy... Read more
Blog | Oct 24, 2017 Indoor Air Measurements - Get control of your building system Buildings must be made smarter to save energy and keep their inhabitants happy and healthy. To achieve sustainable results, building system... Read more
Customer case How Shenzhen Subway keeps it cool A quickly growing subway system in southern China chose Vaisala’s humidity and temperature transmitters for its air conditioning control system... Read more
Customer case Keeping data centers cool Increasing demand for data processing and storage capacity has led to major companies investing in new facilities that provide web-based... Read more
Blog | May 19, 2015 Take a peek inside a Vaisala cleanroom: a video tour of our research, development and manufacturing facilities In this 3-minute video our Facility Manager Hannu dons a bunny suit and gives a tour of the facilities where Vaisala creates some of the world's... Read more