Five keys to achieving ideal relative humidity at home
- Written by News Company
When talking about energy efficiency in the home, we tend to pay attention to parameters that do not take into account the level of indoor air quality, an essential element in people’s health. Achieving an ideal humidity level plays a very important role when it comes to indoor air quality levels.
1. Indoor humidity
Temperature and humidity data logger refers to the presence of water vapor in the air. This is one of the parameters to be measured to determine the quality of the indoor environment in buildings. To establish optimal comfort conditions within the home, not only the relative humidity, the dry air temperature. The average radiant temperature of the enclosures of the enclosure and the average air velocity are taken into account, but also the activity is valued metabolic and the degree of dress of the people who are inside the room.
Consequently, the optimal interior conditions of the buildings vary from winter to summer. According to the parameters established in the RITE, the Regulation of thermal installations in buildings, indoor conditions in winter must be between 21-23 ° C and 40-50% relative humidity. While in summer, the temperature will be between 23-25 ° C and relative humidity at 45-60%.
2. Comfort and health
The maintenance of the home environment within the parameters indicated above guarantees a level of comfort for the users or residents of the buildings, in particular of the houses since it is where we spend a large part of the day.
A being moisture one of the most influential factors in achieving such comfort is important to consider the requirements of indoor air quality
This is because it not only takes into account the feeling of comfort of the users and inhabitants but also ensures their health. The maximum relative humidity data mentioned above of 60%, is the maximum that should be reached if we want to avoid condensations that give rise to mold and microorganisms harmful to health.
3. Measure air humidity
Hygrometers are used to measure the humidity of the air: some equipment that during the last decades has evolved to have a size of a USB and be fully digitized. This fact is a reflection of the increasingly important that moisture takes in our daily environment.
The most modern hygrometers measure temperature and relative humidity (with date and time of records) and calculate complementary parameters such as dew point. They allow up to 17,000 records, so they store information to monitor a specific stay for a long period continuously.
4. Intelligent ventilation systems and their influence on ideal relative humidity
The ventilation is closely related to the level of humidity inside the house, which affects the energy consumption that is needed to maintain a comfortable and healthy environment in the different rooms of the home.
Installing an intelligent ventilation system helps to avoid high humidity concentrations thanks to its extraction from humid areas such as bathrooms or kitchen, thus keeping the indoor air within adequate humidity levels.
Poor ventilation can bring health problems to the inhabitants of that space since it can lead to high percentages of humidity and favor the concentration of different pollutants. For example, a high percentage of humidity causes an increase in the presence of mold, which greatly increases the risk of respiratory infections.
5. Advantages of installing an intelligent ventilation system
The main benefits of installing an intelligent ventilation system:
Energy saving
Reduce household energy demand
Improvement of comfort levels
Control indoor air quality
Helps maintain ideal humidity levels
Prevents health problems related to the presence of moisture at home
The Controlled Ventilation Demand automatically controls the quantity and quality of the air inside the home. These systems introduce a variable volume of air into the building, which maximizes the comfort of the house while making more efficient use of energy. This means that Controlled Ventilation Demand means an average energy saving of 40%.
These systems are the best current technical solution to ensure proper ventilation and avoid many problems linked to poor air quality such as the proliferation of bacteria, dust mites, fungi and moisture.
What is air humidity
Humidity is an indicator of water vapor in the air. The humidity of home air varies depending on weather conditions and people's life processes.
A decrease in the humidity in the room can occur due to excessive use of heaters or air conditioning. Cooking without hoods or good ventilation, drying clothes in the house, high humidity in the street leads to a high level of humidity in the apartment.
Dry air in the room can cause drying of furniture and decoration materials, wilting of plants, dry skin and mucous membranes. Often dry air leads to allergic reactions and the development of colds.
Too humid air can also spoil furniture and decoration materials, contribute to the development of fungus on the walls and reduce immunity in humans. An unpleasant odor of dampness may appear in the apartment.
How to measure air humidity?
It is difficult to determine the exact relative level of air humidity without special equipment. However, an abnormal moisture concentration can be determined by the dryness of the skin and mucous membranes or by the accumulation of condensation (dew point) on windows and mirror surfaces.
The relative humidity is the content of water vapor in the air and its interaction with air temperature.
Today, there are special devices with which you can determine the balance of humidity in the room with high accuracy.
Devices for measuring air humidity
A device for measuring air humidity is called a hygrometer.
A hygrometer is a device that measures the humidity of the air in a room. If the percentage of moisture in the air is too low, various viruses can enter the body, which can significantly weaken the immune system. Thanks to the hygrometer, discomfort can be avoided, and the mucous membranes and skin can be protected from drying out.
According to a study, a comfortable level of relative humidity in the room in winter is 30–45%, in the warmer months - 30–60%.
The principle of operation of this device is based on the physical characteristics of the materials of which it consists. Materials, depending on the level of moisture in the air, change properties: weight, density, length, and others.
A hygrometer can be of several types:
hair,
film
weight
condensation
psychrometric
electronic.
Conclusion
If you make a habit of constantly maintaining optimal air humidity at the required level, this will help to reduce the risk of developing respiratory diseases and cases of allergic reactions. Normalized moisture favorably affects the skin, protects it from drying out and premature aging.