It’s Not the Heat, it’s the Humidity…
Anyone who has endured a Central Texas summer will be the first to tell you: It’s not the sizzling temperatures that you should worry about, but the sweltering humidity. Moist, hot, sticky weather is not only uncomfortable, but can also prove dangerous – our bodies feel hotter because we are hotter. A dehumidifier system not only increases everyone’s comfort level, but may actually help reduce the utility bill and even help cut down on allergens. Whether installed during a home building or remodeling project, retrofitted to an already existing home or even installed in a specific area of the home, a dehumidifier can work wonders by keeping everyone cool and comfy as the humidity begins to climb. [...]
In fact, specific rooms that experienced moisture problems were the inspiration behind DewStop, a patent pending technology that makes eliminating moisture from a room as easily as turning on a fan switch. “It makes your fan a smart fan, and works either manually or with a humidity and temperature sensor,” says Tony Branham, president of GTR Technologies and the maker of the DewStop system. “Our proprietary software can track your environment by the condensation, so when you’re taking a shower, it can cut on. The system runs for about 20 minutes and then goes through a drying cycle.” Branham says that there are other benefits to installing a dehumidifying system specific to the bath or other areas of the home that tend to become moist. “It’s always good to dry out the bathroom or any other area that tends to collect moisture on a regular basis. There are all kinds of bacterial and allergen problems that can happen in moist areas, not to mention the problems you find with mold, paint and grout.”
Why do dehumidifiers work so well to keep us cool, even when the temperature soars?
The body’s natural cooling system of sweating only works if sweat can evaporate from the skin. When the air itself is full of moisture, sweat doesn’t evaporate as quickly, and the body has to work harder to cool off. As the body continues to heat up, it loses hydration and important chemicals it needs. The heart and blood vessels are strained as blood is sent pumping to the body’s external surface, and less to the muscles, brain and other organs. The result could be impaired movement, impaired mental function, fainting, heat exhaustion, or in extreme cases, heatstroke.
Weather reports constantly relay the heat index, but what does that mean in real terms? The higher the humidity, the higher the actual temperature feels to the body. For example, a temperature of 90 degrees with a relative humidity of 30 percent feels like 90 degrees. But, if the humidity were to increase to 65 percent, suddenly the temperature outside feels like 103 degrees as the body works harder to cool itself down.
JUNE/JULY 2012
Here’s what the article says about what all went into this:
Here’s the description of the event taken from the page 24 “Hardwired for Innovation” article:
