What IAQ Sensors Are Telling You & How That Helps In Mixed-Use Spaces

CO₂. VOCs. PM2.5. RH.

These terms are showing up more and more at mixed-use properties like office parks, strip malls, or medical plazas. IAQ sensors are everywhere now. But what do those readings actually mean? How do they help you make better decisions for your building?

You might assume it’s got something to do with chasing LEED points or selling wellness. While IAQ metrics can be helpful in that regard, the vast majority of cases are more pragmatic than that. IAQ sensors provide real, operational value. When you track air quality, you can likely find immediate opportunities to reduce complaints, better control your costs, and give tenants the visibility they expect. You don’t have to give up centralized oversight to do it, either.

What Your IAQ Sensors Are Saying

Most smart indoor air quality monitors track a handful of key readings. Here’s what matters and why:

• CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide): High levels usually point to poor ventilation. Anything above 1,000 ppm is a red flag. People start to feel tired, sluggish, and uncomfortable. It’s a common tenant complaint and easy to miss without sensors in each space.
• Humidity: ASHRAE recommends staying at RH (relative humidity) levels between 30-60%. Above that, you risk mold and equipment corrosion. Below that, you dry out the space and cause comfort issues. Sudden spikes or dips often indicate HVAC malfunctions or poorly sealed areas.
• PM2.5 (Particulate Matter): These are tiny particles from smoke, dust, or exhaust. They linger in poorly ventilated areas like loading zones or garages. High readings can trigger health concerns for clinics, gyms, daycare tenants, and other sensitive environments.
• VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds): These gases come from paint, furniture, cleaners…even perfume. They’re hard to track without sensors, but elevated levels can cause irritation. Smaller or freshly renovated units should be on extra alert.

Individually, these readings tell you about comfort and ventilation. Together, they show you how the building is actually behaving, whether or not tenants are saying anything.

Why Mixed-Use Properties Should Care About IAQ

Mixed-use buildings get more bang for their buck with IAQ sensors. Why? Testing for indoor air quality is a lot more valuable when you’re dealing with multiple tenants, each with their own schedules and expectations.

Let’s say one tenant leaves the HVAC running 24/7. You notice high CO₂ and VOC levels during overnight hours. The system’s being overused, indoor air quality is still suffering, and nobody on-site is looking at it. You get an alert from ODIN, check the unit’s runtime data, see the pattern…okay, now you’ve got the facts in hand. A quick conversation later, and the problem’s fixed without any friction.

That’s the difference between a handheld dashboard of data and nebulous complaints you need to pound pavement to chase down.

ODIN pulls IAQ and HVAC data into a single cloud-based platform. You’re not toggling between different sensors, spreadsheets, or apps. It’s all there on any device you’re using that has internet access — even the phone in your pocket. You can set thresholds for each unit and get alerted when readings fall outside the target range. You don’t have to be an air quality expert, either. Just to know what’s normal and what isn’t.

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality With Central Oversight & Local Control

Property managers need the big picture. Tenants want control over their suite. ODIN makes both possible.

Each tenant gets role-based access to their unit’s sensors, schedules, and runtime data. They can adjust temperatures and review their own IAQ history without ever touching the systems for other tenants.

Meanwhile, you get full visibility across all units (IAQ trends, HVAC usage, maintenance alerts, and more). It’s a single pane of glass for buildings that aren’t always occupied or always easy to reach.

• Need to review past performance for a prospective tenant? Pull the usage logs and IAQ reports.
• Want to show transparency around energy billing? Share unit-level metering data.
• Need to find the source of a complaint before it escalates? The alerts already told you.

And when you do need to talk to a tenant, the data keeps it clean. You’re not guessing or accusing…just showing real numbers and having a proactive conversation.

If your IAQ sensors are just collecting data and not giving you anything useful to act on, it’s time to plug them into a system that can. See how ODIN works or talk to a specialist about how to apply it to your property today.