Humidity Control and 3 Things You Need To Know To Protect Your Home


03/09/2017 in Know How
A typical family adds three gallons of water to the indoor air a day – just by breathing and perspiring. Additionally, we produce high levels of steam and when cooking in the kitchen, doing the laundry or when taking a shower. Too high or too low humidity can result in problems for the building. Especially newly built homes struggle with humidity if the rooms have not dried out enough. The humidity being too high can lead to molds, which is not only annoying but can cause serious health issues for the residents as well. According to EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the indoor air quality is among the top environmental health threats. The US national laboratory estimates that the annual asthma-related medical costs attributable to the exposures to dampness and mold are as high as $ 3,5 billion. Of course, those costs don’t include damage to the building itself. No wonder home humidity control is so important.

During tours through the Loxone Showhome, visitors often ask questions regarding home humidity control. We want to share the most common questions on home humidity control with you:

#1: What is humidity and what does relative humidity mean?

Humidity results when moist air touches a cold surface. Some of the moisture is leaving the air, becomes liquid or condenses. I’m sure you have already seen windows where water collects on the inside or the window sill. This happens everywhere: in walls, in the attic, on furniture or under the carpet. If you don’t recognize condensed moisture or too high humidity, it could cause mold and mildew growth as well as allergic reactions and damages to your home.

When we’re talking about humidity, we usually speak of relative humidity. Relative humidity is the maximum amount of water the air can absorb, and it depends on the temperature of the air.

#2: What is the ideal indoor humidity level?

The humidity in a home has a great effect on the well-being. The ideal relative humidity for health and comfort is between 40 % and 60 %. However, you have to be aware that cold air in winter months can’t hold much water vapor. So keeping the humidity level under 40% on cold winter is fine. Too much humidity in cold winter months could cause problems with building materials as well.

Outdoor Humidity
above 40° 45 %
between 30 & 39 40 %
between 20 & 29 35 %
between 10 & 19 30 %
between 0 & 9 25 %
between -1 & -9 20 %

To stay in the perfect humidity range, we recommend you to install humidity sensors.

#3: How does a home humidity control work?

Several things influence indoor humidity. Among them are air circulation and the heating/cooling setup of your home which you can automate. The Loxone Smart Home can do a couple of things while it monitors the humidity to make your life easier:

Humidity monitoring

In our Loxone Home near Philadelphia, one restroom is located at a corner. It is cooler than other rooms, and cold air surrounds it from the outside. This particular room has a high risk for humidity damage.
To prevent damage, we installed our Temperature & Humidity Sensor Air and integrated it in our Smart Home. If the humidity in the restroom is too high, the Loxone Smart Home will automatically activate the ventilation and keep it on till the humidity level is fine.

Home Humidity Control with Loxone
Automated Fan Control for Home Humidity Control

Automated fan control

Our bathroom fans are fully automated. They will turn on when you enter the bathroom. If you take a shower, the bathroom fans will stay on until the humidity level is OK again.

Humidity notifications and statistics

In other rooms, we use the built-in sensor of our Loxone Touch and Loxone Touch pure. We have them installed in nearly all rooms, so we know and monitor temperature and humidity in the whole house.
We set up notifications that alert us on the Smartphone when the humidity is too low or too high for more than one hour. That way we don’t get false alarms when taking a shower or when we open the window to get some fresh air.

Home Humidity Control - Statistics in the App
Loxone will help you to keep indoor humidity at the right level. If you want to know more, contact us or
give us a call at +1 (859) 554-3147.

More damage protection features for a Loxone Smart Home

Home Humidity Control is just one of many security and damage control features for a Loxone Smart Home. Read more about water damage protection and how you can protect your home against water leaks.

Get In Contact

Send us a request for your next project as an end customer or a professional installer.

A
I'm an interested consumer...
and would like to learn more about Loxone for my home or business.

A
I'm an interested pro...
and would like to learn more about Partner Programs and products.

Get a free consultation for your project

    • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Let's see if we're a good match for partnership

  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • Hidden
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.