The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from Humidity Solutions is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.
Humidity Solutions
1HUMIDITY SOLUTIONS |
BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE
Managing Director John Barker
The Humidity Solutions team
Founded in 2008, Humidity Solutions is a specialist in the
control of humidity in a wide range of buildings, providing
solutions for both humidification and dehumidification.
Unlike most other companies in this field, it is independent of
specific manufacturers and is therefore better able to select the
best solutions without bias. Managing Director John Barker tells
The Parliamentary Review
about the organisation’s impressive
growth over the past ten years.
We were lucky enough to celebrate our tenth anniversary last year with an event
at Westminster Abbey, where we have also provided humidity control in the
museum area. This is just one example of the many applications whereby we can
assist with providing stable humidity to serve a number of purposes. These include
maintaining a healthy indoor environment, optimising manufacturing processes,
ensuring smooth operation of printing and creating ideal storage conditions for
humidity-sensitive objects. The latter include fragile artefacts and documents,
pharmaceuticals and many other materials. Consistent day-to-day humidity is
essential in all of these cases.
Streamlined process to protect your greatest assets
We have two strong teams. One recommends, selects and designs the most
appropriate humidification or dehumidification system to meet specific project
requirements. The other is our service team, which can install and commission new
equipment and provide planned maintenance and servicing to systems throughout
their life.
FACTS ABOUT
HUMIDITY SOLUTIONS
»Managing Director: John Barker
»Founded in 2008
»Located in Leatherhead, Surrey
»Services: Humidity Solutions
designs, installs and maintains
solutions for controlling
humidity in commercial and
industrial buildings
»No. of employees: 14
Humidity Solutions
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
2| HUMIDITY SOLUTIONS
We have many long-serving staff as a
result of an excellent retention rate,
most of whom have an engineering
background with strong application
knowledge, ensuring we are able to
provide first-rate advice. During our
first ten years we have consistently
achieved double-digit growth and we
are keeping our foot on the pedal
with a number of exciting expansion
projects in the pipeline to drive the
business forward.
Independence from
manufacturers
Our independence from manufacturers
is a rarity in the humidity control
sector, and it gives us tremendous
scope to cherry-pick the most exciting
and technically innovative equipment
from around the globe. This, married
to our expertise, makes us a leading
player in the market with the most
comprehensive range of solutions.
Historically our key markets have been
within the industrial and commercial
sectors and these continue to represent
a major proportion of our work.
However, we are seeing increasing
demand in residential, school and care
home areas, where the importance
of humidity control in maintaining
good indoor air quality is becoming
better understood in relation to health
andwellbeing.
One challenge we frequently face is
the need to educate purchasers that
the modest expenditure required to
provide humidity control can deliver
long-term benefits to the health of
building occupiers and the building
fabric itself. Humidity control can also
help to reduce energy usage because
humidity has a direct impact on
people’s perception of temperature.
For example, increasing relative
humidity from 40 per cent to 50 per
cent can make surrounding air feel two
degrees warmer, so heating can be
turned down without compromising
comfort. This relationship between
humidity and temperature is known
as relative humidity and is expressed
as a percentage that relates to the
amount of moisture the air can hold at
different temperatures.
On-site showroom and
test facility
The importance
of humidity
control in
maintaining
good indoor air
quality is
becoming
better
understood in
relation to
health and
wellbeing
“
“
3HUMIDITY SOLUTIONS |
BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE
Indoor air quality
Indoor air quality is something of a
contentious issue, creating almost as
much debate as Brexit and, similarly,
not reaching a commonly agreed
conclusion. In the manufacturing,
processing and printing sectors,
acceptable humidity levels are clearly
defined because deviating from these
levels can have an adverse effect on
productivity, product quality and
profitability. However, when it comes
to standards for maintaining a healthy
environment for people, we are
fallingshort.
Unquestionably, we all need a healthy
environment in which to work, rest
and play – and humidity control
is a vital component of this. What
is required, therefore, is a defined
standard for humidity to ensure the
spaces we occupy are comfortable
andhealthy.
Humidity affects health and comfort
in a number of ways. High RH is
uncomfortable, encourages mould
growth and can create condensation
on cold surfaces, resulting in a slip
hazard. Low RH will dry out mucous
membranes in the respiratory system
and make eyes feel dry and itchy.
There are also links between humidity
levels and spread of infection. Dry air
enables bacteria and viruses to remain
suspended in the air for long periods,
so they can travel further and spread
infection across a wider area. Viruses
such as influenza and norovirus (the
vomiting bug) survive longer at low RH
(20 to 30 per cent), while a mid-range
RH between 40 per cent and 70 per
cent will minimise their survival rate.
Also, tests indicate that the infectivity
of the influenza virus is increased
by both low and very high RH, with
minimum infectivity at 50 per cent.
Relative humidity has been shown
to have a similar effect on airborne
bacteria, with intermediate levels
increasing the mortality rate of
airborne pneumococci, streptococci
and staphylococci.
For all of these reasons, the
Humidity Group of the Federation of
Environmental Trade Associations, the
World Health Organization and the
National Association of Optometrists all
recommend that the RH in workplaces
is maintained at 40 to 60 per cent. This
is also the range recommended by BS
EN 29241 as the optimum for visual
display terminals.
In many buildings, these humidity
levels cannot be maintained without a
humidity control system.
Looking ahead, there are exciting
opportunities for our company,
alongside the challenges of better
education about the role of humidity,
the uncertainty of future relations with
European trading partners and our
drive to see the introduction of indoor
air quality standards that reflect the
importance of humidity control.
In manufacturing, acceptable humidity
levels are clearly defined because
deviating from these levels can have
an adverse effect on productivity,
product quality and profitability
“
“
HomEvap Direct
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HomEvap low energy
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