Month: July 2025

A recent study by Imperial College London has confirmed a concerning truth: closing classroom windows does not stop outdoor air pollution from entering schools. Conducted under the SAMHE (Schools’ Air quality Monitoring for Health and Education) project, the study monitored nearly 500 classrooms across the UK and revealed that outdoor air pollution is the primary contributor to indoor air quality issues in schools.

On 6% of the school days, outdoor particle pollution exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) daily guidelines—and these high-pollution days were responsible for a striking 17% of the total indoor pollution exposure over the year (WHO guidelines).

More Ventilation? Not the Solution Alone

Some schools try to address air quality concerns by reducing ventilation on polluted days. However, Dr Alice Handy of the SAMHE team explains that “reducing ventilation will not stop outdoor PM2.5 from entering classrooms.” Even during weekends when schools were closed, pollution levels remained high inside classrooms, especially around events like fireworks night (Dr. Handy’s publication profile).

Moreover, good ventilation is critical for keeping CO₂ levels low, which plays a key role in improving concentration and reducing the risk of airborne infections among students.

HibouAir: Real-Time Insights for Better Air

These findings underscore the urgent need for reliable, real-time air quality monitoring inside classrooms. That’s exactly where HibouAir makes a difference.

HibouAir offers a compact, plug-and-play air quality monitor that continuously tracks: PM1.0 / PM2.5 / PM10, CO₂ and VOCs, Temperature, humidity, and pressure, Noise levels.

This enables schools to respond in real time, adjusting ventilation, purifiers, or class schedules based on current air quality conditions—rather than assumptions.

Sensors and Filters: A Smart Combination

In the same SAMHE study, air filters were tested in an additional 300 classrooms. The result? A 29% reduction in particle pollution compared with nearby schools without filters (poster report).

However, Dr Samuel Wood of the research team noted that even with filters, “outdoor air quality was still the leading driver of classroom pollution” (Dr. Wood’s profile). Filters helped, but without real-time monitoring, schools remain unaware of when air quality actually improves or worsens.

HibouAir bridges this gap by providing data that validates the effectiveness of purification systems and alerts staff during high-risk periods.

Protecting Students Beyond the Classroom

Children are exposed to pollutants not just at school, but also at home—from sources like cooking with gas, personal care products, wood burners, and cigarettes. Research also shows that the journey to school can expose children to more traffic-related pollution than they encounter indoors (ScienceDirect article).

These findings further highlight the value of evidence-based school policies, such as no-idling zones, “school streets,” and fossil fuel reduction efforts.

Take Action: Monitor and Improve

HibouAir helps schools with the real-time data they need to take proactive and informed action. By setting customizable thresholds, schools can receive instant alerts when pollution levels exceed safe limits, ensuring timely responses to protect students and staff. The system also allows for direct comparison between indoor and outdoor air quality, offering valuable insight into how well school buildings shield against external pollutants. With this data, administrators can optimize the use of air purifiers and ventilation systems more effectively, adjusting them based on actual conditions rather than assumptions. Furthermore, HibouAir enables schools to evaluate the impact of sustainability initiatives—such as green infrastructure or reduced traffic zones—by providing measurable evidence of their effectiveness in improving air quality.

Without reliable monitoring, schools are navigating air quality blindly. HibouAir makes that data visible, actionable, and easy to understand.

The classroom should be a space for learning and health—not hidden exposure. As the SAMHE study confirms, pollution isn’t just an outdoor problem, and closing the windows is not the fix.

With HibouAir, schools gain the insight they need to create healthier, more focused learning environments. Let’s build a future where every school knows the air their students are breathing.

Sources:

• Imperial College London: SAMHE Project
• The Guardian Article – “Closing classroom windows does not stop air pollution”
• World Health Organization – Air Quality Guidelines
• UKHSA SAMHE Poster – SEI.org

As smart environments become more prevalent across homes, offices, and educational institutions, the need to understand and act on indoor air quality has never been more important. While automation platforms like Node-RED have made it easier to connect various devices and services, visualizing live air quality data is often overlooked.

That’s where HibouAir comes in—a powerful, plug-and-play air quality monitoring device that can be easily integrated into your Node-RED dashboard. With this integration, you can receive real-time air quality data directly in your browser, enabling informed decisions, automated actions, and healthier indoor environments.

What is Node-RED?

Node-RED is an open-source, flow-based development tool designed for connecting hardware devices, APIs, and services in a visual way. Developed originally by IBM, it allows users to drag and drop nodes, wire them together, and build automation flows—all with minimal coding.

With support for serial communication and BLE workflows, Node-RED is ideal for developers, researchers, and system integrators who want to visualize sensor data or create smart automation flows.

Creating a Real-Time Air Quality Dashboard Using Node-RED and HibouAir

With just a few tools, you can build your own live air quality dashboard using HibouAir and a BLE USB dongle such as BleuIO. The dashboard will show real-time data like CO2, temperature, and humidity, updating automatically as your environment changes.

We’ve created a detailed tutorial on the BleuIO website that shows how to:

• Scan for BLE advertisements from HibouAir
• Decode the advertisement payloads
• Visualize the data using Node-RED’s dashboard features

Once set up, your dashboard will provide a dynamic view of your indoor air quality, refreshed every few seconds.

Live dashboard

Live readings of CO2, temperature, and humidity.

A snapshot of the working Node-RED flow using BleuIO and HibouAir.

Why This Matters

For homeowners, office managers, and educators, maintaining healthy air quality is not just about comfort—it’s about well-being, productivity, and safety. With live CO2 and PM data, you can Trigger alerts when CO₂ levels rise above healthy limits, Monitor temperature and humidity trends, Automate ventilation or purification systems via smart relays, Keep track of long-term air quality for compliance or optimization.

The Node-RED integration makes this possible without requiring any cloud account or complex setup. Everything runs locally, giving you full control over your environment and your data.

Real-Life Use Cases

Smart classrooms can use this setup to ensure students are learning in fresh, safe environments.
Corporate offices can use it to maintain ideal conditions for productivity and energy efficiency.
Researchers and developers can prototype BLE dashboards quickly and test new ideas with minimal hardware.
Home users can build their own DIY monitoring setup to ensure better air quality for their families.

What You Can Do Next

With a working dashboard up and running, you can expand the project in many ways: Add a chart node to track historical data, Trigger mobile notifications or alarms for threshold breaches, Log data locally or send it to a cloud server for further analysis, Export and share your Node-RED flow with your team.

This is just the beginning. HibouAir’s BLE support makes it perfect for local integrations like this—fast, secure, and customizable to your needs.

Now a days the invisible threat of indoor air pollution is becoming one of the most urgent yet underestimated public health challenges. According to the World Economic Forum, indoor air pollution contributes to an alarming 3.2 million premature deaths annually. As people spend 60–90% of their lives indoors, the air inside our homes, schools, and workplaces can often be more polluted than the air outside.

From cooking and cleaning to simply heating our living spaces, everyday activities release airborne pollutants like particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen dioxide, and greenhouse gases. These pollutants can accumulate rapidly in tightly sealed or poorly ventilated buildings — even in modern, energy-efficient structures — and affect not just physical health, but also mental well-being, cognitive performance, and sleep quality.

A Global Problem in Every Household

Whether in a rural cottage or an urban high-rise, indoor air pollution affects communities across the globe. The sources may differ — from solid fuel stoves in the Global South to gas cooking appliances in Western countries — but the outcome is the same: poor indoor air that poses serious health risks.

Unfortunately, while outdoor air pollution often takes center stage in regulatory discussions, indoor air quality remains dangerously overlooked. The result? Vulnerable populations — including children, the elderly, and low-income families — are left unprotected in the very spaces they rely on for safety.

What Can Be Done?

The World Economic Forum highlights several strategies to tackle this growing crisis:

Affordable Indoor Air Monitoring: High-cost monitoring equipment has been a barrier for many households. However, new generations of sensors and IoT devices are making air quality data more accessible.

Clean Energy Adoption: Transitioning to cleaner cooking and heating methods, such as electric alternatives, is essential but requires financial and infrastructural support.

Infrastructure Improvements: Poor ventilation is a major contributor to indoor pollution buildup. Better building design and policy-driven standards are crucial to creating healthier environments.

Policy Equality for Indoor Air: Indoor air deserves the same regulatory focus as outdoor pollution if we truly want to protect public health.

How HibouAir Supports the Shift Toward Cleaner Indoor Environments

At HibouAir, we believe that clean air is a human right — not just a luxury. Our smart air quality monitoring system is designed to make indoor air visible, measurable, and actionable. Equipped with advanced sensors, HibouAir monitors key parameters such as CO2 levels, Particulate Matter (PM1.0, PM2.5, PM10), VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds), Temperature and Humidity, Pressure and Noise (in select models).

Data from HibouAir is instantly accessible through a mobile app, desktop application, and our secure online dashboard, allowing users to view real-time readings, track historical trends, and make informed decisions to improve their indoor environment. All collected data is stored securely using Amazon cloud services with certified data protection practices.

Whether you’re a homeowner, office manager, school administrator, or healthcare provider, HibouAir empowers you to take control of the air you breathe — without requiring technical expertise.

The Path Forward

Indoor air quality should not be an afterthought. As highlighted by the World Economic Forum, it must be part of a coordinated, global health strategy. Solutions like HibouAir are a crucial step in this journey, helping bridge the gap between awareness and action by making clean indoor air achievable for everyone.

India, with its vibrant cities and cultural diversity, faces a pressing challenge—air pollution. According to multiple air quality reports, some of the world’s most polluted cities are in India, and yet the focus is often only on outdoor air. What many overlook is that indoor air, where people spend nearly 90% of their time, can be just as harmful. In offices, classrooms, homes, and factories across the country, people are unknowingly breathing in air that affects their health, productivity, and overall well-being.

The Importance of Indoor Air Quality Monitoring

The importance of monitoring indoor air quality (IAQ) cannot be overstated, especially in a country like India where a combination of dense urban environments, limited ventilation, and cultural practices contribute to elevated levels of indoor pollutants. Whether it’s the use of incense, cooking fumes, poor HVAC systems, or external air seeping indoors, the impact on human health is significant. Without proper monitoring, it’s impossible to understand the quality of the air we’re breathing or take steps to improve it. Poor IAQ can lead to fatigue, frequent headaches, respiratory problems, and a decrease in cognitive performance—all of which are particularly concerning for students, employees, and vulnerable populations.

Why Air Quality Monitoring Is Crucial in India

Monitoring indoor air becomes even more critical in India during specific times of the year. One such example is the festive season, especially around Diwali, when the widespread use of firecrackers and increased vehicle emissions result in a sharp drop in air quality.

Combined with the onset of winter and agricultural stubble burning in northern states, pollution levels often reach dangerous thresholds. In such conditions, staying indoors may seem safer, but without clean indoor air, the risks persist. This is where real-time air quality monitoring plays a life-saving role by helping people understand what they’re exposed to and when to take precautionary measures like improving ventilation or using air purifiers.

HibouAir – A Smart Way to Monitor Air Quality

HibouAir offers a smart, scalable solution for understanding and improving indoor air quality. Designed in Sweden, this compact and reliable device is now making its way into the Indian market to address the growing need for real-time air monitoring. What sets HibouAir apart is its comprehensive range of built-in environmental sensors. Every HibouAir device—whether it’s the CO2, PM, or DUO variant—measures core parameters such as temperature, humidity, air pressure, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), providing a solid foundation for indoor air assessment. The CO2 variant includes an additional carbon dioxide sensor, which is crucial for evaluating ventilation and occupancy levels. The PM variant is equipped with sensors that detect particulate matter—PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10—commonly linked to urban dust, smoke, and industrial pollution. For the most complete picture, the DUO version combines both CO₂ and PM sensors alongside the other environmental metrics, offering an all-in-one solution for detailed air quality analysis.

Use Cases Across Indian Sectors

The applications for HibouAir in India are broad and practical. In office spaces, the device helps maintain a healthy work environment by monitoring CO2 buildup, which can cause drowsiness and reduce productivity if left unchecked. Educational institutions benefit by ensuring that classrooms and study areas remain safe for children, who are particularly sensitive to air quality. In industries and manufacturing units, monitoring dust and volatile compounds ensures worker safety and helps comply with occupational health regulations. Even at home, where families seek comfort and safety, HibouAir provides peace of mind by highlighting hidden air quality issues that could otherwise go unnoticed.

HibouAir Dashboard – Real-time Insights, Anytime

To complement its hardware, HibouAir provides a complete digital ecosystem that enables users to access, visualize, and act on their air quality data in real time. At the core is the HibouAir smart analytical dashboard, a powerful web-based platform that allows individuals and facility managers to monitor live sensor readings, analyze historical trends, and generate detailed reports. The dashboard also supports smart alerting, enabling users to set custom thresholds and receive notifications whenever air quality drops below acceptable levels. With multi-device management, it’s easy to oversee conditions across multiple rooms, floors, or even buildings—making it a perfect solution for educational institutions, corporate offices, and industrial facilities.

In addition to the web dashboard, HibouAir also offers a mobile application, designed to deliver real-time air quality data directly to your smartphone. Whether you’re at your desk or on the go, the app keeps you informed with instant access to live metrics and alert notifications, helping you respond to air quality changes as they happen. For users who prefer desktop integration, HibouAir provides a desktop application that brings air quality monitoring to your computer with the same intuitive interface and access to advanced data tools. Together, these platforms offer a seamless, multi-device experience—ensuring that you’re always connected to the air you breathe.

If you’re a school administrator in Bengaluru, a facility manager in Mumbai, or a homeowner in Delhi, HibouAir can make a measurable difference in how you understand and improve your indoor environment. With localized support, user-friendly tools, and powerful features, HibouAir is ready to help India breathe better—one room at a time.

Ensuring healthy indoor environments has become a global priority, driven by growing awareness of air quality’s impact on human health and productivity. One of the most influential organizations in this space is the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), whose standards for indoor air quality (IAQ) have become the benchmark for ventilation design and acceptable indoor conditions worldwide.

Understanding ASHRAE Standards 62.1 and 62.2

ASHRAE Standard 62.1, titled Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, defines the minimum ventilation rates and other measures necessary to ensure healthy indoor air in commercial and institutional buildings. It addresses critical indoor contaminants such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10). The standard provides both prescriptive ventilation rates and performance-based requirements to help building operators achieve acceptable indoor air. In the residential sector, ASHRAE Standard 62.2 focuses on ventilation and IAQ for homes and low-rise residential buildings, setting out similar goals for occupant health and comfort. These standards are referenced widely in building codes across North America and beyond, shaping the ventilation and air quality requirements of millions of buildings. Source: ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2022, ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2022

How HibouAir Enhances ASHRAE Compliance

At HibouAir, our indoor air quality monitors are designed to help facility managers, building owners, and homeowners align with these ASHRAE standards. By providing real-time measurements of critical indoor air pollutants—including CO₂, particulate matter, temperature, humidity, air pressure, and VOCs—HibouAir makes it easier to verify whether a building meets acceptable IAQ targets. While ASHRAE standards establish the guidelines, continuous monitoring is the key to maintaining them over time. HibouAir’s connected sensors deliver accurate, consistent data, empowering operators to react swiftly when levels deviate from recommended thresholds.

Data-Driven Ventilation and Energy Efficiency

Another area where HibouAir supports ASHRAE compliance is by enabling data-driven ventilation strategies. Since ASHRAE 62.1 and 62.2 emphasize both ventilation rates and contaminant limits, real-time monitoring allows facilities to optimize HVAC systems, avoiding both under-ventilation, which compromises health, and over-ventilation, which wastes energy. By leveraging HibouAir data, building managers can tune ventilation systems more precisely, satisfying both ASHRAE guidelines and energy efficiency objectives. Studies have shown that dynamic ventilation controls based on IAQ monitoring can reduce energy consumption while maintaining air quality Source: ASHRAE Journal, March 2022.

Indoor Air Quality and ESG Reporting

In the era of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting, indoor air quality also connects to broader sustainability and health goals. Many organizations now publicly commit to meeting standards like ASHRAE 62.1 as part of their ESG programs. HibouAir provides the data transparency needed for such reporting, allowing organizations to demonstrate their commitment to healthy, safe, and sustainable indoor spaces.

Preparing for the Future of Indoor Air Quality

As building standards evolve, continuous, verifiable air quality monitoring will become even more critical. The HibouAir indoor air quality monitor stands ready to support that mission by offering advanced sensing technologies that align with global best practices, including ASHRAE’s respected standards. By integrating HibouAir into your building or facility, you can take proactive steps toward healthier, more productive environments while remaining confident that your indoor air strategies support ASHRAE’s trusted benchmarks.

For those seeking further details, you can consult the full ASHRAE standards documentation available directly from ASHRAE at ashrae.org.