It's winter; cold continues to creep through every muscle of your body; yet the thermometer shows temperatures above 20 °! What creates this perceiving chill when the temperature appears to be fine? It's not that rare an occurrence; it more often than not arises out of scientific, physiological and, perhaps, psychological explanations. Hereunder lies why your interior doesn't seem well-heated enough; and a few tips for a good winter warm-up.
A perceived temperature that cheats!
The 20 ° indicated by the thermostat is often relatively absent. Quite a number of factors, besides the registered temperature, contribute towards the perceived heat or cold. Sometimes, one gets prey to certain phenomena including behaviors of the materials used for building a house, humidity, air currents; which tend to cooperate in the solutions for thermal comfort in a room.
1. Isolation: the first culprit for your goose bumps
Insulation remains the primary item, to be judged for thermal comfort. Within a great many living houses, poor insulation of the walls, to-the-outside-and-inside air entries along the windows, or bad roof insulation gets into the house fairly quickly. Hence, the reader sees 20 ° on the thermostat but are oblivion of the fact that the walls neglected to heat optimally that coldness coming in.
Cold walls: When these seem cold to touch, then, most often, they must lack insulation and draw out very fast the heat flows arriving from outside also.
Windows: Simple unsealed glass surfaces allow cold air to flow through and, mechanically, keep heat from getting inside the house.
The floor: If your home has little insulation, especially in the case of ground floor situations or non-heated basements, the floor may absorb heat from the room, thus feeling cold.
"Good insulation provides warm air for resistance to energy loss through maintaining temperature consistency and comfort." If loss of heat occurs due to good insulation, it creates cool zones inside the home.
2- Humidity: often an underappreciated comfort factor.
Humidity levels directly impact how cold a place feels. Either very dry or very humid air can modify our perception of temperature. If the air is too dry, usually in winter, where heating is in operation, it causes our skin to lose moisture more readily, thus creating a more pronounced sensation of cold. Electric radiators and space heaters are especially drying.
Excessive humidity, on the other hand, creates a feeling of heavy and unhealthy air, while excessively high humidity levels cause the surface walls to cool, making the room seem colder than it actually is.
However, for general thermal comfort, one should try to maintain between 40% and 60% humidity; this may be easily obtained by using either a humidifier or a dehumidifier effectively to maintain humidity in the domestic areas.
Drafts carry the cold with them.
It is generally accepted that drafts contribute to the sensation of cold, even if the temperature itself seems quite correct. Drafting comes from fresh air flowing through appellations within the house and can quickly take charge of temperature perception.
Gaps around your windows and doors: If air enters through any cracks, it creates cold drafts and reduces comfort.
Mechanical ventilation: If your VMC is ill-tuned or obsolete, it can foster this flow of fresh air.
You can, of course, greatly reduce this nasty air tingling by insulating the gaps, installing door drafts, or checking your ventilation system.
4. Physiologie et psychologie : comment le corps et l’esprit influencent notre perception du froid
The experience of heat is also influenced by our state of physical and mental well-being, including fatigue, stress, and one's health status. These may all have an effect on the sensation of cold.
Fatigue and stress join in the fray, putting an extra drain on the body's resources in heating up or down the core temperature.
Age: Over the years, one's metabolism slows down, thereby producing less heat as compared to one's younger years when they were still growing. Thus, this has the effect of intensifying the sensation of cold.
Gender: Females generally feel discomfort with the cold more than males due to the hormonal and metabolic differences. Finally, our mood is influenced by factors: we often associate cold with discomfort or insecurity. A relaxed mind and comfortable environment usually help people to conclude that it has been a nice and comfortable temperature.
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