A simplified method for defining air humidification and dehumidification requirements

Nowadays, the use of ventilation systems is very common. In museums and exhibition rooms, they are used to guarantee the optimal temperature and humidity conditions for valuable and irreplaceable objects. Ventilation systems are increasingly used even in residential and office buildings. In Austria and other similar climates, winter outdoor air is very dry. Because of the constant air exchange using a ventilation system, the relative humidity of indoor air is often lower than the comfort limit, so that air humidification is necessary. In the same rooms, air must be dehumidified during the summer months. Humidification and dehumidification should be minimized as they are processes that consume a large amount of energy. The problem is that until now, it has been unclear how much humidification or dehumidification is necessary and could not be calculated easily. In this investigation, a simplified method for determining the humidification and dehumidification demands taking into account the effective moisture capacity of the room was developed. The developed model is used for the calculation of the energy balance and will be integrated into the program for energy certification in Austria.