this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2026
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Modern houses are actually quite a problem for this. A well insulated house also tend to be quite well sealed. I've seen my bedroom pass 5000ppm. I suspect a lot of people are working in 1000ppm environments or higher for long periods.
For those interested, IKEA recently released a air quality sensor that does CO2 for a very low price. ALPSTUGA
One reason the window directly over my head in bed stays open all Winter.
I don't want it too cold when sleeping, and heating a room with an open window is wasteful and expensive.
I'm personally planning on installing an air to air heat exchanger. Even a cheap one can get 75% recovery. Add in some air sensors to make it smart and it's fairly fire and forget.
I love the cold and the bedroom is off circuit.
What do you even do about CO2 in that scenario. I can monitor it and collect data, but addressing it feels like a losing battle, especially in winter.
My plan is to replace the bathroom extractor with a heat exchanger. It takes outside air, warms it using the exhaust air, then dumps it into the bedrooms.
The living areas are easier. Opening a window for 10 minutes isn't an issue when you're awake and moving about.
You can also get vent replacement versions. They flip flop between venting out, and pulling in, storing heat in a heatsink as appropriate.
The apartment I used to live in was so good for this ventilation thing, even with all the windows closed. The air conditioner was installed permanently in the wall and had a gap around it that let enough wind through to rattle my vertical blinds across the room. Never had to worry about high co2 during those trapped-inside Midwest winters! :p
Joking aside, I covered that thing with plastic and layers of blankets. Current house isn’t much better in that regard, the air leaks are just from everywhere, because it’s ancient. Costs a fortune to heat, so I keep it cold all winter. But at least I don’t have too much to worry about with co2 buildup.
I feel you. I lived in a converted stable once. The place leaked air like a sieve.
I also discovered the oil fired boiler had 20m+ of unlagged pipes between it and our radiators, running through an unused stable. It took 2 full tanks/winter to just keep it above freezing. It should have been 1/2 a tank to keep it nice and warm.