Development of a low-cost device for observing indoor particle levels associated with source activities in the home

A small instrument package was developed to continuously observe particles, carbon dioxide,
temperature and movement at relatively low cost. Four identical packages were built and co-
located in a test home alongside a wide range of more sophisticated instruments. The
instruments were exposed to common indoor particle sources in a semi-controlled experiment,
and during normal occupation of the house.
Results indicate that each sensor requires individual calibration. The responses of the CO2
and particle sensors were highly consistent and correlated with much more expensive
instruments. The combination of CO2 and movement data was able to indicate the presence of
persons in the room, although not unambiguously. Trials are ongoing to investigate the impact
of instrument location within the home. The particle sensor responded clearly to cooking
sources and the infiltration of outdoor particles on evenings with elevated ambient PM10.