Classroom CO Monitoring Malaysia Why Schools Should Monitor Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality Introduction A classroom may look comfortable. The air conditioner is running. The temperature feels cool. Students are sitting normally. But none of these observations tells a school exactly what is happening with classroom ventilation. A classroom may contain: 20 students 30 students 40 students Or even more When many people occupy an enclosed room for extended periods, CO can change significantly depending on occupancy and ventilation. For schools in Malaysia, monitoring CO together with other relevant indoor air quality parameters can provide useful information about how classrooms actually perform throughout the school day. Why Classrooms Are Important Monitoring Locations Classrooms are different from many other indoor spaces because they may have: High occupancy Long occupied periods Repeated lessons Closed doors Air conditioning Changing ventilation conditions A classroom that appears perfectly normal before students arrive may behave very differently once the room is full. Empty Classroom vs Occupied Classroom Imagine measuring a classroom at: 7:00 AM The room is empty. CO appears relatively low. Temperature is comfortable. Everything looks good. Then: 8:00 AM 35 students enter. ↓ 8:30 AM Class continues. ↓ 9:00 AM Room remains occupied. ↓ 10:00 AM Several lessons have taken place. The environmental condition may now be very different. Therefore: Do not evaluate a classroom only when it is empty. Measure it during actual occupancy. Why CO Changes in a Classroom People produce CO when they breathe. When many students and teachers occupy an enclosed room, CO can accumulate if ventilation is insufficient relative to occupancy. The actual pattern depends on: Number of students Classroom size Lesson duration Ventilation HVAC operation Windows Doors Monitoring provides actual data instead of assumptions. “The Classroom Is Air-Conditioned, So Everything Is Fine.” Not necessarily. Air conditioning can make the classroom feel cool. But: Cooling and ventilation are not exactly the same thing. Depending on the HVAC design, an air-conditioned classroom may contain different amounts of outdoor air and recirculatedair. Therefore: Comfortable temperature ≠ Complete indoor air quality assessment CO monitoring provides another useful piece of information. Monitor CO Throughout the School Day Instead of taking one reading, schools can observe a trend. For example: Before Students Arrive ↓ First Lesson ↓ Second Lesson ↓ Morning Break ↓ Students Return ↓ Lunch ↓ Afternoon Classes ↓ School Ends This can reveal patterns that one spot measurement cannot show. What Happens During Recess? Recess can provide an interesting comparison. If students leave the classroom and doors or windows are opened, CO conditions may change. A monitoring trend might show: Class Occupied CO increasing ↓ Students Leave ↓ Room Ventilated ↓ CO decreases ↓ Students Return ↓ CO begins increasing again This provides useful information about how quickly the classroom responds. Compare Different Classrooms Not every classroom behaves the same way. For example: Classroom A Ground floor, near entrance Classroom B Upper floor Classroom C Air-conditioned Classroom D Naturally ventilated Classroom E Different occupancy A portable monitor can help schools compare these environments. Classroom CO Monitoring During Haze Haze makes classroom monitoring more complicated. When outdoor air pollution becomes elevated, schools may reduce outdoor air entering classrooms by closing windows and doors. This may help reduce some particulate infiltration. However, occupied classrooms still require appropriate ventilation. Therefore, during haze, schools may want to understand both: PM2.5 and CO rather than monitoring only one parameter. The School Haze Dilemma Consider this situation: Windows Open Potentially more ventilation. But outdoor PM2.5 may enter during haze. Windows Closed Potentially less direct particulate infiltration. But CO may increase if ventilation becomes insufficient. This is why measurement is valuable. The school can observe actual indoor conditions rather than relying on one general rule. PM2.5 and CO Are Different This distinction is very important. PM2.5 Helps assess fine particulate conditions. CO Can provide useful information related to occupancy and ventilation in suitable indoor environments. Therefore: Low PM2.5 does not automatically mean low CO. And: Low CO does not automatically mean low PM2.5. Temtop C10 2nd for Classroom CO Monitoring For straightforward classroom monitoring involving: CO Temperature Relative humidity the Temtop C10 2nd can be considered. This is particularly useful where the school's main question is: “How does CO change when students occupy the classroom?” Potential applications include: Classrooms Tuition centres Lecture rooms Training rooms Libraries Staff rooms Temtop M100 for Classroom Haze Monitoring Where the school wants to monitor: PM2.5 PM10 CO AQI the Temtop M100 can be considered. This combination is particularly relevant during haze because it provides information about both: Particulate conditions and CO. Temtop M10 for Broader Indoor Monitoring Where users want broader monitoring involving: CO PM2.5 VOC Temperature Relative humidity the Temtop M10 can be considered. Supported connected monitoring functions can also help users observe environmental trends over time. Which Temtop Monitor Is Suitable for a School? A simple starting point is: Temtop C10 2nd For: CO + Temperature + Humidity Temtop M100 For: CO + PM2.5 + PM10 + AQI Temtop M10 For: CO + PM2.5 + VOC + Temperature + Humidity + Connected Monitoring The correct model depends on what the school wants to investigate. Start with a Classroom Survey A school does notnecessarily need to install sensors everywhere immediately. It can begin with a portable survey. For example: Monday Classroom 1A Tuesday Classroom 2A Wednesday Classroom 3A Thursday Library Friday Computer Lab The school can then compare results. Record Occupancy Together with CO CO data becomes more useful when combined with occupancy information. For example: TimeStudentsRoom Condition7:30 AM0Before class8:00 AM35Lesson starts9:00 AM35Occupied10:00 AM0Recess10:30 AM35Students return12:30 PM0Lunch The school can then compare this information with the CO trend. Monitor Before and After Changes Suppose a school identifies a classroom that requires further investigation. The school might make an operational or ventilation adjustment. Monitoring can then follow: Baseline Measurement ↓ Adjustment ↓ Continue Monitoring ↓ Compare Data This provides more useful evidence than simply asking whether the room “feels better.” Libraries and Study Rooms Schools can also monitor: Libraries Reading rooms Study rooms Computer rooms These spaces may remain occupied for long periods and may have different ventilation conditions from classrooms. School Laboratories Laboratories may require monitoring for different reasons. Depending on the activity, parameters may include: CO PM2.5 PM10 VOC Temperature Humidity The monitoring method should be selected according to the actual laboratory activity. School Halls and Indoor Activity Areas Large spaces may also be monitored during: Assemblies Examinations Indoor activities Events Occupancy can change significantly, making temporary environmental surveys useful. When One Portable Monitor Is Not Enough A school may eventually have: 30 classrooms 50 classrooms Several buildings Hundreds or thousands of students Moving one monitor between classrooms cannot provide continuous information. At this point, fixed multi-point monitoring becomes more relevant. Multi-Classroom Monitoring System A larger school could monitor: Classroom A CO + Temperature + RH Classroom B CO + Temperature + RH Classroom C CO + Temperature + RH Library CO + PM2.5 Computer Lab CO + Temperature + RH Indoor Activity Area PM2.5 + CO ↓ Central Monitoring Platform ↓ Historical Data ↓ School Management / Facility Team This provides a much broader picture of the school environment. Real-Time School IAQ Dashboard A central dashboard may display: Classroom location CO PM2.5 Temperature Humidity Sensor status Historical trends Alerts where required This allows the school to monitor several areas without manually visiting every classroom. Historical Data Historical monitoring can answer questions such as: Which classrooms regularly show higher CO? What happens during full occupancy? How quickly does the room recover during recess? What happens during haze? Which areas show higher PM2.5? Are there differences between floors? Do conditions change during different school sessions? This turns indoor air quality into measurable building information. Haze Event Monitoring A school can also compare conditions: Before Haze ↓ Haze Begins ↓ Outdoor Pollution Increases ↓ Indoor PM2.5 Monitoring ↓ Windows / HVAC / Filtration Adjustments ↓ Continue Monitoring ↓ Outdoor Conditions Improve This provides useful information about how the school building responds to haze. From One Temtop Monitor to School-Wide Monitoring The development path may be: Temtop C10 2nd / M100 / M10 ↓ One Classroom Survey ↓ Compare Several Classrooms ↓ Identify Monitoring Priorities ↓ Install Fixed Sensors ↓ Multi-Classroom Monitoring ↓ Central Dashboard ↓ Multi-Building Monitoring ↓ School Indoor Air Quality Monitoring System The initial requirement may e one portable monitor. The long-term opportunity may involve the entire school. Example School Project Enquiry Instead of: “Need CO meter for classroom.” a more complete enquiry could be: Application: School Classrooms: 35 Students per Classroom: Approximately 3040 Parameters: CO + Temperature + Humidity PM2.5 Monitoring: Required in selected areas Haze Monitoring: Required Monitoring: 24/7 Historical Data: Required Dashboard: Required Future Expansion: Additional School Buildings This identifies a system-level opportunity. Information Needed for a School Monitoring Proposal Customers can provide: School type Number of classrooms Typical students per classroom Number of buildings Air-conditioned or naturally ventilated rooms Required parameters CO requirement PM2.5 / PM10 requirement Temperature / humidity requirement Portable or fixed monitoring Number of monitoring points Historical data requirement Dashboard requirement Alert requirement Haze monitoring requirement Floor plan if available This helps determine the appropriate monitoring approach. Why Choose MTM Precision? MTM Precision Sdn. Bhd. supplies Temtop air quality monitors and professional environmental monitoring solutions throughout Malaysia. We support educational applications involving: Classroom CO monitoring PM2.5 monitoring Haze monitoring Temperature and humidity monitoring School indoor air quality surveys Library monitoring Laboratory environmental monitoring Multi-classroom monitoring Historical data Continuous monitoring Central dashboards Multi-building environmental monitoring Schools can begin with a portable Temtop monitor and expand the monitoring programme according to what the data reveals. The important principle is simple: Measure classrooms when students are actually inside them not only when the rooms are empty. Contact MTM Precision MTM Precision Sdn. Bhd. 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