GoKawiilI wouldn’t wish humidity problems on anyone’s home. On the dry side, low humidity can cause everything from nosebleeds to cracks in dried-out wood flooring. And high humidity can encourage mold, warp wood or damage paint. Depending on how delicate your houseplants are, both extremes could also threaten their health.
But the smart thermostat, that unsung hero of the modern home, has hidden potential to fix this problem. These thermostats not only help gauge humidity, but they can automatically take action to prevent issues or alert you so you can maintain just the right indoor air quality. Here’s how to get started.
Yes, the right thermostat really can sense humidity
Today’s smart thermostats, including the Google Nest, have humidity sensors. Google
Quick, what’s the humidity in your house right now? Most households don’t know, certainly not by checking traditional thermostats and definitely not when they’re away from home. Smart thermostats are different.
Today’s smart thermostats, including some of our favorite models like the Ecobee Premium and Google Nest thermostats, have built-in humidity sensors that are always detecting moisture in the air of your home. With the app on your phone, including popular platforms like Google Home and Alexa, you can check on humidity levels at any time, no matter where you are, before problems begin emerging.
With a smart thermostat, you can check humidity and get alerts from anywhere. Tyler Lacoma/CNET
Some thermostats even allow you to set alerts when humidity levels reach certain thresholds, so your phone will tell you when you need to take action. Humidity isn’t always related to temperature, either. When I asked Dan Bereiter, senior product manager of Honeywell Home Solutions at Residio, about these features, he advised a combo approach. “If the temperature looks comfortable, but the home still feels stuffy, clammy, or dry, humidity may be part of the issue. Watching both temperature and humidity can help homeowners make more informed adjustments.”
What if your smart thermostat doesn’t have a humidity sensor? That’s easy to address.
You can hook up a humidity sensor to nearly any smart thermostat
... continue reading