Four Factors of Comfort
This past weekend was HOT in North Carolina. The temperature rose to the mid-90s, and with frequent afternoon showers, the humidity was stifling. The heat rising up from the asphalt nearly gave me a tan as I made a dash for the pool. As I settled down in a lounge chair with a book in hand, I heard someone comment “Isn’t it beautiful today? That breeze is so refreshing.”
In the span of just a few moments, I experienced the four factors of comfort – the conditions that make us feel too hot, too cold, or juuuuuust right wherever we are. According to Energy Vanguard, the four factors are:
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Air Movement
- Mean Radiant Temperature
Temperature is pretty obvious, I think, and we’ve talked about the importance of humidity before. But the article adds a unique perspective about the effects of home humidity levels on things like dust mites and asthma. It’s important to remember that energy efficiency and home performance are about more than just saving money or shaving a few pounds of carbon off of your footprint – it’s a health issue.
Unless you’re a professional backpacker, you spend the majority of your life inside buildings. If the air quality is poor, your home or office may be aggravating your allergies, causing sinus infections, or triggering an asthma attack. Keep that in mind next time you consider the ROI of sealing your windows or insulating the attic.
The third comfort factor, air movement, is the reason rooms with ceiling fans feel cooler, even though the temperature is the same. I’ve installed two in my house since I moved in, and I’m looking for a third and maybe fourth!
Last, but not least, is the mean radiant temperature. The article cites a few good examples of this effect:
If you’ve ever been in an old uninsulated house with single pane windows on a cold night, you’ve probably experienced discomfort due to a low mean radiant temperature. The cold inner wall surfaces and glass suck heat out of your body because you’re radiating heat to them but they’re not radiating much back. Another mean radiant temperature problem occurs in bonus rooms, where you have walls with hot attic on the other side. Most of the time those attic kneewalls are poorly insulated and thus get very hot. Even if the air temperature in that room is 70 degrees, you may be uncomfortable because the walls keep blasting you with heat.
So remember, when you’re trying to beat the heat, you’ve got to deal with more than just the temperature.
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