As a homeowner, you might be guilty of constantly worrying about your home’s adequate cooling and heating. Every time summer or winter approaches, we spend a lot of our time pondering the proper indoor temperature. But have you ever wondered about the ideal humidity for a home?
We sure want comfort and ease as we enjoy the indoors during an extensively hot summer day or a chilling winter. But we’re affirmative you don’t want every blanket wrapped around you in winter, nor all the fans pointed to you during summer! It is why we created this article just for you. Below, we will be looking into the ideal humidity that your home needs to get the comfort you want.
But what does the word “humidity” mean?
Before we hop on to the ideal humidity for a home, let us first have a clear definition of the term. When this word pops in mind, most people assume that it is a mere measure of the amount of water in your air. It is generally a correct concept to begin with. However, humidity is more than that definition. To break this into a more straightforward sense, we will look into the differences between relative and absolute humidity.
Relative humidity refers to the current moisture level in your indoor air based on how moist it could get. On the other hand, absolute humidity is the mass of water present in the air divided into the air in a given space. However, when finding the ideal humidity for a home, we tend to incline on using relative humidity more than the absolute measure.
Why do we need to have proper humidity levels?
It might be a question that popped into your mind while figuring out the ideal humidity for a home. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, we will list down a few reasons why having the proper humidity level is perfect for you.
We all are familiar with sweat. It is our body’s way of eliminating toxins while also cooling us down. Perspiration allows us to maintain our homeostatic temperature, especially when the external factors try to interfere. When humidity is nearly at 100%, the air around you may not be able to absorb the moisture produced by your body, AKA sweat. It could leave you feeling icky when your skin retains that moisture! And that sticky, gross feeling could sound synonymous with discomfort.
So, what are the recommended settings?
Now that we have explained everything in detail, we can proceed to tackle the ideal humidity for a home. It is crucial to remember that several factors could affect humidity levels. Such factors include the time of the year, the preferences of the residents, and their type of clothing.
Studies show that the ideal humidity for a home usually ranges from 40% to 60%. However, mould could develop at a humidity rate of 50% above. So if you don’t plan to have mould on your home, it is best to keep the levels below that line. Again, these are just a few guidelines that may or may not apply to you. While it would be good to keep these in mind, you should also consider matching the humidity levels to your comfort levels.
