Relative Humidity
If you have drafty windows you may be experiencing some of the effects of Relative Humidity. Warm moist air hits the cold surface of your window, it cools down and some of the moisture in the air condenses on the glass.
Relative Humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor in air at a specific temperature compared to the maximum capacity of the air at that temperature.
The benefits of high (20 – 30%) relative humidity in the winter are that the air feels warmer and it doesn’t dry out your skin so fast. In the summer, high relative humidity known commonly as just “humidity” is what makes a 90 degree day turn to a swealtering day.
The goals are to increase the realative humidity in your house in the winter without causing it to condense on the windows, while in the summer keeping it as low as possible. This is one of the primary mechanisms that your air conditioner uses to make the air in your house feel cooler.
January 22, 2010
Posted in: Eco-Glossary, Indoor Air Quality
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