CO2 Sensors: 1 Percent CO2 Sensor

0-1% (0-10,000ppm) CO2 sensors are used to measuring indoor air quality or atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

For IAQ applications we recommended the Senseair S8 Miniature 10,000ppm CO2 Sensor. This sensor is designed for use in indoor control and alarm applications like portable heaters, or HVAC systems. It is leader in next-generation NDIR CO2 sensors.

For monitoring atmospheric carbon dioxide levels we recommend the Senseair K-30 CO2 sensor. It's low-cost and proven track record of accuracy and reliability are known by OEM manufacturers worldwide.

For scientific, academic or hobby applications we recommend any of the Gas Sensing Solutions CoZIR, SprintIR or ExplorIR CO2 sensors for their accuracy, low cost, and native serial output that makes it easy to work with Arduino, Raspberry Pi or other microcontrollers.

How does an air quality sensor work?

CO2 Meter focuses on high-quality NDIR CO2 sensors. These sensors used infrared light to measure the number of CO2 molecules in an air sample. While NDIR sensors are more expensive than electrochemical sensors, they are longer lasting and more accurate.

What are the six most common indoor air pollutants?

carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone, particulate matter, and sulfur oxide are the 6 most common indoor air pollutants.

CO2 is not on this list. However high CO2 levels often correlate with high levels of these other indoor pollutants. For this reason, a single, low-cost CO2 sensor can be used as an indicator of all of them.

Why should I use a 0-1% CO2 sensor for indoor or outdoor air monitoring?

Normal indoor or outdoor air will never reach above a few thousand ppm of CO2. Therefore, a CO2 sensor with that range of measurement will be the most accurate for these applications. For safety monitoring 0-5% CO2 sensors are used. Learn more about CO2 sensor ranges here.