Why is humidity important at school?
Humidifying a school will not only increase comfort, it will also improve the health and reduce absenteeism of students and teachers.
Regardless of the source of heating you use, heating a school during winter will dry the indoor air. When the humidity levels drop below 35% RH, the dry air will begin to steal moisture from its surroundings. Living tissue will quickly become dehydrated and the moisture content of the wooden structures in your home will begin to plummet.
Low humidity level can create side effects such as:
- Dry and itchy skin, dry hair, dry nose, sore throat.
- Contact lenses prematurely drying out causing discomfort, sore eyes.
- Dust and lint particles scatter through the air increase allergies and asthma.
- Buildup of static electricity is released when two objects come into contact.
- Increased transmission of airborne viruses and illness such as flue.
- Permanent damage to wood, causing it to crack or split.
Recommended humidity level for your school
The recommended humidity level for human health by ASHRAE handbooks is between 30-60%RH.
We do recommend a minimum humidity level of 40%RH.
How can you bring humidity to your school?
Most of the humidifier technologies are offered on the market to humidify your School.
Selection of the proper humidification solution should be based on the following:
- What is the required maximum humidification capacity (load) required?
- What sources of energy are available on site?
- How is the ventilation system installed and how is the air distributed?
- Which humidification system will require the least amount of energy – calculated for the overall HVAC system?
IER electric steam humidifier is an easy and efficient solution to bring humidity to your school. It can be installed on the central ventilation system or locally to humidify a specific zone or a laboratory.
AEM evaporative humidifier is another solution to be considered when a central ventilation system is installed. Evaporative humidifier has a very low cost of ownership and operation; furthermore it can be used during summer as an evaporative cooler reducing load on other cooling equipment installed.
Contact us to locate our local steamOvap representative.