CO2Meter collaboratied with Associate Pastor Jerad Johnson from the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Blackshear, GA as he looked to monitor indoor air quality in his church.
The church had experienced a drop in visitors after the COVID-19 pandemic. They wanted to ensure optimal indoor air comfort and worship in their community.
After reviewing prior church studies on the negative impact that poor indoor air quality (IAQ) has on individuals in crowded indoor spaces, Pastor Johnson came to CO2Meter.com to gain further understanding of how the church could improve indoor air quality and eliminate direct negative health effects like drowsiness, from occurring.
It is important to note, that poor indoor air quality has been linked to short-term conditions like increased colds, respiratory infections, and even sickness or absenteeism in students. In addition, allergies may also be triggered by mold, pet dander, or exposure to VOCs. Existing studies have been created that now reference the correlation between COVID-19 and indoor CO2 levels being used to indicate proper ventilation of spaces and acceptable IAQ levels.
In providing Pastor Johnson with an indoor air quality solution to first monitor and spot check specific areas throughout the sanctuary, CO2Meter provided the IAQ Mini CO2 Monitor. This device is designed to monitor and measure carbon dioxide, temperature, relative humidity and barometric pressure in indoor environments such as homes, offices, classrooms, churches or anywhere CO2 levels should be monitored for health and occupant comfort.
We were lucky enough to interview Pastor Jerad Johnson, to gain a glimpse of his experience in understanding how indoor air impacts the overall well-being of the church members, combined with the ability to analyze the CO2 levels with the built-in data logging capabilities.
In gaining the pastor's feedback in regards to the capabilities and integration of the AR-4PRO in Emmanuel Baptist Church, CO2Meter was able to further provide this valuable information to other customers in similar church and religious community buildings.
CO2Meter: Pastor Johnson, What was your main purpose in purchasing the IAQMini Indoor Air Quality Monitor?
Pastor Johnson: "We are part of the Emmanuel Baptist Church and I purchased the unit to see what the CO2 level in our sanctuary is during service each week for the members. In addition, I was contemplating some changes to our HVAC as well and wanted to be able to have some definite numbers to help guide some of our decision makings."
CO2Meter: Pastor Johnson, how has CO2Meter's sensor technologies assisted in your application to better help provide measurement, solutions, or data logging in your space?
Pastor Johnson: "Overall I like the Indoor Air Quality Meter, we can also connect the meter to a phone to pull the data and further analyze the levels across a specific period of time."
CO2Meter: In your experience what has been the greatest change in your application, specifically regarding CO2?
Pastor Johnson: "We are hoping to make a determination as to whether our HVAC needs to be modified to bring in additional outside air. Due to COVID19, we are having a smaller but significant amount of people in our sanctuary and I believe we will really see an impact on CO2 when we have larger numbers. If my suspicion proves accurate then it could point to an issue that could be happening and changing in sanctuaries all over the country (and world) week in and week out."
CO2Meter: Why did you choose CO2Meter as a Carbon Dioxide (CO2) sensor provider, and utilize their solutions for your research?
Pastor Johnson: "I searched online for reliable and accurate CO2 meters, and found the IAQ Mini appeared to be and provide just what I needed."
Pictured Above, Emmanuel Baptist Church Choir Session
CO2Meter: In terms of CO2, how has it impacted your application overall, and what makes it important specifically in your industry/environment?
Pastor Johnson: "In our church, too much carbon dioxide (CO2) could make attendees drowsy and we need to monitor and measure to have them stay awake to hear the preaching."
CO2Meter: Has anyone in your company or those around you experienced any unfortunate CO2 exposure incidents to themselves or negative effects on the plants?
Pastor Johnson: "No."
CO2Meter: Overall, what were the results from monitoring CO2, and what was the most fascinating aspect of the research that was found?
Pastor Johnson: "Overall, we really enjoyed the IAQ Mini and its ability to monitor CO2 levels in real-time throughout the church, however, we will need to gain additional feedback from the data being pulled and provide you with an update upon further analyzing. We were able to gain recommended levels in regards to ASHRAE and OSHA from CO2Meter and use this as standard to go from. We will be sure to provide an updated choir photo with the next couple of months once we are able to hold after COVID19."
For more information on Emmanuel Baptist Church, visit: https://ebchurch.net/
Indoor Air Quality in Churches
In addition to gaining industry feedback from Pastor Johnson, at Emmanuel Baptist Church - CO2Meter continues to recognize the large impact that carbon dioxide has been able to play in regards to indoor air quality and the importance of monitoring to ensure optimal concentrations and ventilation across the field.
CO2Meter will continue to provide gas detection solutions and technologies to applications and industries alike, further educating on the topic of indoor air quality, health, and well-being in indoor environments.
For more information on Indoor Air Quality and CO2 solutions for your application contact us today.