Is your AC putting you at risk from viruses like coronavirus?

By Ran Roth - 5 minute read

Recent studies showed: "Low humidity and low temperatures help spread the new coronavirus”

More than 11 papers published in recent months found that low temperatures and low humidity significantly increase the infection rate of the new coronavirus. A research group led by Jingyuan Wang from Beihang University tested climate conditions in over 100 cities in China¹. They found that the transmission rate increases by 2.7% for every relative humidity percent drop and by 3.8% for every temperature drop. Other studies have shown that a relative humidity level below 40% becomes extremely dangerous and breeding ground for viruses.

Air Conditioning is a major concern

“There is ample evidence that viruses survive better at low humidity — precisely what happens in the summer in air-conditioned spaces”, says Dr. J. Allen in a recent article to the New York Times². With more people staying at home, the risk of indoor infection increases significantly. In particular, dry and cold environments where humidity goes below 40% are a recipe for disaster.

Most air conditioners don’t have humidity control

“Some heating and ventilation systems are equipped to maintain humidity in the optimal range of 40 percent to 60 percent, but most are not”, continues Dr. Allen. With summer coming and people using more air conditioners, being more at home, we are likely to see more virus infections indoors due to incorrect relative humidity levels.

Sensibo protects your home with smart humidity control

Here is the good news - if you don’t have such a system, you don’t need to replace your entire air conditioner. The Sensibo Air is a non-expensive add-on that retrofits any AC to make it smart and add humidity control.

With direct access to measurements through our Sensibo Air device, we pulled some data and found that over 22% of our users’ homes are currently within the temperature/humidity infection danger zone.

With our Climate React tech that uses Sensibo Air's precise temperature and humidity sensors, these users can now keep their families safer by enabling the virus protection mode.

Sensibo monitors your air filters

Viruses like the coronavirus tend to stick to dust particles, spreading the virus in the air for a longer period of time. Clogged filters increase the amount of dust and water can accumulate inside the AC, making it a brewing place for dangerous bacteria. The Sensibo App keeps track of your usage patterns and informs you when is the best time to clean your air conditioner filters.

Be in control of your air conditioning today

For more information about the Sensibo Air, click here.

Sources

¹ Allen, Joseph G. “Your Building Can Make You Sick or Keep You Well.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/04/opinion/coronavirus-buildings.html² Wang, et al. “High Temperature and High Humidity Reduce the Transmission of COVID-19.” SSRN, 10 Mar. 2020, https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3551767