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Clearing up a few myths in humidity recovery

December 2021

Timo Schreck

Published at the REHVA Journal 6/2021

There are many assumptions and opinions circulating around humidity recovery in the European HVAC industry and among HVAC engineers. Some of them are based on bad experiences, some of studies or claims presented with a certain partiality. Timo Schreck will try to clarify some these myths based on his experience in the industry.

Relative humidity in the indoor air — Impact on indoor air quality and means of control

December 2021

Timo Schreck

Published at the REHVA Journal 6/2021

But what about us — people — and the indoor air humidity? We, engineers and indoor air quality scientists, tend to conclude that humidity has a small impact on human well-being and perceived indoor air quality (IAQ). Humidity indeed has some effects on thermal comfort, but its importance in the overall IAQ is more significant than just as a part of thermal comfort. In fact, indoor air humidity has its own dimension in indoor air quality.

Dry indoor climate — Why and how to prepare for the next cold season?

December 2021

Mikael Börjesson, Petra Vladykova Bednarova and Sylvia Petroni

Published at the REHVA Journal 6/2021

It's easy to forget, what you can't see — if we live in the Nordic region or other colder areas, we could acknowledge that the air feels dry and the indoor climate is less comfortable during wintertime, i.e. we experience cold, dry spells. In this article, we will introduce the reasons behind a dry indoor environment and how it affects us and a few simple tips on what we can do to make the indoor climate more comfortable in the winter. We can have the solution in place for the next cold season if we start planning straight away!

Cooling energy recovery

December 2021

William Lawrence

Published at the REHVA Journal 6/2021

Rotary heat exchangers with a sorption coating bring significant opportunity for energy and carbon emission reductions while also improving the indoor environment.

Education and ventilation in schools

The school building represents an excellent opportunity to intervene and protect the students' health. The school environment needs to be liveable and conducive to learning: full of fresh air and good (day)light, emphasising a comfortable atmosphere and providing good acoustic conditions.

Today's actual trends in school buildings focus on the systems that are variable and demand-based in delivering an essential indoor climate, flexible and controllable in use, integrated yet intelligent and adaptable to potential and future requirements.

Humidity

The requirements for relative humidity in current building standards are very limited. More focus needs to be paid in controlling humidity in buildings and naming relative humidity as one of the main signals to ensure comfortable indoor conditions in buildings.

Indoor climate conditions significantly impact the health, comfort and well-being of people and humidity is one of several conditions to consider. And when focusing on creating the optimal comfort of occupants in buildings the target of relative humidity should not be below 30% RH. Research also shows that relative humidity is an important factor in controlling the spread of various diseases in buildings.

Technical indoor climate guide

The technical guide deals with technical issues related to ventilation, air handling, indoor climate and energy resourcefulness, but does not claim to be comprehensive. It is extremely important to have knowledge of what is required to build well-functioning systems with maximum possible comfort and the lowest possible energy consumption.

Also included at this technical guide are definitions, designations, conversion factors, formulas, thermal data for air and water as well as further reading tips, publications which in neutral terms describe matters that may be useful to know from a designer, installer or user perspective.