It's quite simple – a small cloud that lights up red when the CO2 level in the classroom is too high, along with a kit that guides students to better venting habits. Nevertheless, in 33 test schools across the country, it has reduced the amount of CO2 in the classrooms quite significantly. SKYEN has been developed with support from Realdania in the effort for a better indoor climate in the country's schools.
Bad indoor climate and heavy air full of CO2 is unfortunately a condition for many school pupils across the country - with major consequences for both their learning, health and academic performance.
Now a new study from the consultancy company Implement supported by Realdania shows that good advice does not necessarily have to be expensive when the indoor climate in the school is to be improved. And that a relatively simple solution can have a large and lasting effect:
It is shaped like a cloud, must be hung on the wall and connected to an ordinary socket. And then it lights up red when the CO2 level reaches above the recommended limit value – a clear signal to the students that it is now time to ventilate. And then the SKYEN comes with a small kit that guides the students to better ventilation habits combined with a short teaching course.
For a year and a half, Implement has investigated SKYEN's effect on the indoor climate and on the behavior of 3,000 students in 125 classrooms in 33 schools across the country.
The study shows that the time students spent in rooms with very high CO2 levels has dropped from over 30 minutes on a school day to less than 1 minute. Even 1 year later, the students who have been set up with a SKY and sent a habit kit stay at acceptable CO2 levels most of the time during the school day. In comparison, the study's test classes, which have not received a SKY, stay in rooms where the CO2 level reaches above the recommended limit more than half of the time between 8:00 and 14:00. Every day, every week, all school year.
"Our study shows quite clearly that SKYEN, together with a habit kit, supports new sustainable habits in the classroom, which gives students a healthier indoor climate. When the CO2 level becomes too high, it starts to have a negative impact on the students' well-being and learning. But with the CLOUD, that is actually eliminated. And here, a year later, there is no indication that the effect is returning. It's pretty crazy," says Lasse Frost, consultant at Implement.
Behind SKYEN is the startup company ÅBN, which develops solutions for a better indoor climate in schools and offices, among other things. In 2019, together with 4 other companies, they received support from Realdania to develop, test and document their bid for new, innovative solutions that can improve the air quality in the country's classrooms as part of Realdania's big campaign for a better indoor climate in schools.
"The purpose of SKYEN has always been to create a simple and habit-changing tool for improving the indoor climate. The study proves that with learning and behavior you can create a lasting improvement in the indoor climate - even at children's height. THE CLOUD is very low-hanging fruit, easy to implement and with great value for small budgets. We are of course very proud of the results and now hope for municipal support to improve the indoor climate in the primary school," says Kristoffer Jensen, Co-founder and CEO of ÅBN.
Since 2016, the philanthropic association Realdania has worked to improve the indoor climate in the country's schools - among other things by supporting the municipalities in working more strategically with indoor climate and by generating new knowledge about indoor climate and solutions.
"Several school renovations with a focus on a good indoor climate and investments in new ventilation systems are absolutely necessary if we are to overcome the poor indoor climate - and we must. But these are also solutions that are often expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, it has been important for Realdania to broaden the toolbox and also support the development of solutions where behavior is at the center - and which are accessible and simple for schools to use in everyday life. SKYEN is a good example of that. And the evaluation of SKYEN shows that behavior as a tool both gives great and lasting results," says Anne Gade Iversen, project manager at Realdania.
Read the evaluation from Implement 'How we create a good indoor climate in the school'.
