IndoorComfortKit Calculator checks
Validation Test Cases
These examples show the expected results for representative calculator inputs. They are not personal household measurements or product recommendations. They help readers see how the current calculation rules behave.
The tables include 40 reference, boundary and invalid-input cases. Expected-result excerpts come from the same case registry used by our automated calculation tests. Each excerpt is checked against the calculator output, not generated from that output when the table is built. The full result includes additional explanations and limitations.
A passing software check confirms that the published rules return the listed values. It is not independent scientific validation of a site-defined label or equipment estimate. Do not recreate extreme room conditions to test a calculator.
Indoor Comfort Score
Published rule: Round(clamp(100 - 4 x abs(T - 23) - 0.9 x abs(RH - 45) - 3 x max(0, Td - 16), 0, 100)). T and Td are in C.
The score uses the dew point already rounded to 0.1 C, then rounds the final score to a whole number. The cases exercise the 100 ceiling and 0 floor.
| Input | Expected output | How to interpret the check |
|---|---|---|
| 22.2 C, 45% RH | Comfort score: 97/100 Dew point: 9.7 C Comfortable humidity | Comfort score about 97/100, dew point about 9.7 C, comfortable humidity label. |
| 23 C, 45% RH | Comfort score: 100/100 | At the site reference temperature and RH, the dew point stays below 16 C, so no penalty is applied. |
| 45 C, 100% RH | Comfort score: 0/100 | A synthetic extreme input tests the zero floor. It is not a condition to recreate or a health threshold. |
| 46 C, 45% RH (invalid) | Room temperature (C) must be between 0 and 45. | The published form range is narrower than the mathematical temperature domain. |
Limit: This is an IndoorComfortKit heuristic, not a standardized comfort index or a medical, air-quality or safety score.
Dew Point
Published rule: g = 17.62 x T / (243.12 + T) + ln(RH / 100); Td = 243.12 x g / (17.62 - g). Round Td to 0.1 C.
The Celsius form accepts room temperatures from 0 to 45 C and RH from 1% to 100%. The saturation case checks Td = T; the zero-RH case checks input rejection.
| Input | Expected output | How to interpret the check |
|---|---|---|
| 22.2 C, 50% RH | Estimated dew point: 11.3 C | Dew point about 11.3 C using the Magnus approximation. |
| 25 C, 58% RH (cooling illustration, before) | Estimated dew point: 16.2 C | The 77 F starting input in the oversized-AC guide has this calculated dew point, not a measured water-removal rate. |
| 21.1 C, 56% RH (cooling illustration, after) | Estimated dew point: 12 C | The approximately 70 F ending input gives about a four-degree dew-point drop despite a small RH percentage change. |
| 21 C, 40% RH | Estimated dew point: 6.9 C | This is the calculated example used by the winter window guide. Window temperature is still unknown. |
| 20 C, 100% RH | Estimated dew point: 20 C | At 100% RH the logarithmic RH term is zero and dew point equals air temperature. |
| 20 C, 1% RH | Estimated dew point: -38 C | The lowest accepted RH demonstrates logarithmic behavior; display precision is not instrument accuracy. |
| 20 C, 0% RH (invalid) | Relative humidity (%) must be between 1 and 100. | Zero RH is rejected before evaluating the logarithm. |
Limit: The Magnus approximation estimates air dew point. It does not supply a missing glass temperature, sensor accuracy, water quantity or drying time.
Indoor Humidity
Published rule: RH < 30: Dry air; 30 <= RH <= 50: Comfortable humidity; 50 < RH <= 60: Upper humidity watch; 60 < RH <= 70: Humid room watch; RH > 70: High humidity.
The 50%, 60% and 70% endpoints belong to the lower of their adjacent labels. Each pair below checks both sides using integer form inputs.
| Input | Expected output | How to interpret the check |
|---|---|---|
| 55% RH | Upper humidity watch | Upper humidity watch, because it is above the 30% to 50% preferred target and within the 50% to 60% watch range. |
| 29% RH | Dry air | Below 30% uses the dry-air label. |
| 30% RH | Comfortable humidity | The preferred band includes its lower endpoint. |
| 50% RH | Comfortable humidity | The preferred band includes 50%. |
| 51% RH | Upper humidity watch | The upper watch label starts above 50%. |
| 60% RH | Upper humidity watch | 60% remains in the upper watch band. |
| 61% RH | Humid room watch | The next label begins above 60%. |
| 70% RH | Humid room watch | 70% is included in this band. |
| 71% RH | High humidity | The high label begins above 70%; it is not a diagnosis. |
| 101% RH (invalid) | Relative humidity (%) must be between 1 and 100. | Out-of-range input produces an error, not an estimate. |
Limit: EPA supplies the broad 30% to 50% background. These label boundaries and actions are site-defined observation aids, not health or building-condition thresholds.
Room Moisture Watch
Published rule: Higher moisture watch when RH >= 70 OR rounded Td >= 20 C; otherwise Lower moisture watch.
This label is separate from the humidity-only label. At 70% RH it already says Higher while the humidity calculator still says Humid room watch. At 30 C and 55% RH, the rounded 20.0 C dew point also triggers Higher.
| Input | Expected output | How to interpret the check |
|---|---|---|
| 21 C, 60% RH | Lower moisture watch Dew point: 12.9 C | Lower moisture watch, dew point about 12.9 C, with notes to compare readings and surfaces. |
| 20 C, 69% RH | Lower moisture watch | Both RH and rounded dew point are below their site-defined trigger values. |
| 20 C, 70% RH | Higher moisture watch | RH equal to 70% triggers the higher label even without a 20 C dew point. |
| 30 C, 54% RH | Lower moisture watch Dew point: 19.7 C | This warm-room example is just below the rounded dew-point trigger. |
| 30 C, 55% RH | Higher moisture watch Dew point: 20 C | The code compares dew point rounded to 0.1 C. Reaching 20.0 C triggers the higher label even below 70% RH. |
| -1 C, 60% RH (invalid) | Room temperature (C) must be between 0 and 45. | This indoor tool does not accept sub-zero room inputs. |
Limit: Both states are site-specific watch signals. Lower does not exclude hidden moisture, mold, a leak or a cold surface.
Room AC BTU
Published rule: Area x 25; multiply by 0.9 for shade or 1.1 for sun; add 600 per occupant above two; add 4,000 for kitchen heat; if ceiling > 9 ft multiply the subtotal by ceiling/8. Round to the nearest 500 BTU, with a 5,000 BTU floor.
The separate area-only comparison is area x 20, with no adjustments or floor. Both columns are site-authored planning aids, not the official ENERGY STAR capacity table. At exactly 9 ft there is no ceiling multiplier.
| Input | Expected output | How to interpret the check |
|---|---|---|
| 200 sq ft, normal sun, 8 ft ceiling, 1 occupant, no kitchen heat | Estimated AC size: about 5,000 BTU | About 5,000 BTU after the 25 BTU/ft2 planning baseline and small-room floor. |
| 120 sq ft, normal sun, 8 ft ceiling, 1 occupant, no kitchen | Estimated AC size: about 5,000 BTU about 2,400 BTU | The planning result has a 5,000 BTU floor; the separate 20 BTU/sq ft comparison has no floor. |
| 250 sq ft, normal sun, 8 ft ceiling, 1 occupant, no kitchen | Estimated AC size: about 6,500 BTU | 6,250 BTU is halfway between 500-BTU increments and rounds upward under Math.round. |
| 300 sq ft, normal sun, 9 ft ceiling, 1 occupant, no kitchen | Estimated AC size: about 7,500 BTU | At exactly 9 ft the ceiling multiplier is not applied. |
| 300 sq ft, normal sun, 9.5 ft ceiling, 1 occupant, no kitchen | Estimated AC size: about 9,000 BTU | Above 9 ft, 7,500 is multiplied by 9.5/8 before rounding. This discontinuity is part of the site heuristic, not a physical step change. |
| 300 sq ft, sunny, 8 ft ceiling, 3 occupants, kitchen | Estimated AC size: about 13,000 BTU about 6,000 BTU | 300 x 25 x 1.1 + 600 + 4,000 = 12,850, rounded to 13,000. The area-only comparison remains 6,000. |
| 49 sq ft, normal sun, 8 ft ceiling, 1 occupant, no kitchen (invalid) | Room area (sq ft) must be between 50 and 2000. | The room-size form rejects areas below its published range. |
Limit: Arithmetic checks do not validate the heuristic against a real cooling load. Compare product labels and room conditions; neither column is a Manual J design or installation approval.
Dehumidifier Capacity
Published rule: Base = 20, 30, 40 or 50 pints/day for slightly damp, damp, very damp or wet. Add max(0, ceil((area - 500) / 300) x 10).
The first area increase is at 501 sq ft for integer inputs; the next is at 801. At exactly 500 or 800, the previous band still applies.
| Input | Expected output | How to interpret the check |
|---|---|---|
| 700 sq ft, damp | Estimated dehumidifier size: about 40 pints per day | About 40 pints/day: 30 pint damp-room base plus one 10 pint area adjustment. |
| 500 sq ft, damp | Estimated dehumidifier size: about 30 pints per day | The 30-pint damp-room base gains 10 pints for each started 300 sq ft above 500. A boundary jump is a planning preset, not a change in measured water load. |
| 501 sq ft, damp | Estimated dehumidifier size: about 40 pints per day | The 30-pint damp-room base gains 10 pints for each started 300 sq ft above 500. A boundary jump is a planning preset, not a change in measured water load. |
| 800 sq ft, damp | Estimated dehumidifier size: about 40 pints per day | The 30-pint damp-room base gains 10 pints for each started 300 sq ft above 500. A boundary jump is a planning preset, not a change in measured water load. |
| 801 sq ft, damp | Estimated dehumidifier size: about 50 pints per day | The 30-pint damp-room base gains 10 pints for each started 300 sq ft above 500. A boundary jump is a planning preset, not a change in measured water load. |
| 0 sq ft, damp (invalid) | Room area (sq ft) must be between 50 and 3000. | Zero area is not a valid equipment-sizing request. |
Limit: This stepped grid is an IndoorComfortKit planning preset, not the ENERGY STAR table or a prediction of daily bucket collection. Source control, temperature, drainage and actual rated performance still matter.
How to reproduce a result
Open the linked calculator and enter the complete row, including units, sun exposure and the kitchen checkbox where listed. For these reference checks use the Celsius inputs directly. Start with a new calculation after changing a value; the page should not keep presenting the previous result as current.
If a calculator output changes, the related method explanation should be reviewed with the change. Small rounding differences can happen when temperature units are converted before entry, but the displayed result should stay close to these reference cases.
For example, the dew-point guide rounds Celsius to one decimal place before converting to Fahrenheit. Converting a displayed, rounded Fahrenheit value back to Celsius can give a slightly different input. A 0.1 C difference is not evidence that a household sensor is accurate to 0.1 C.
If your result does not match
Check the entered unit, decimal value, room area and selected options first. If the mismatch remains, use Contact with the calculator URL, non-identifying example inputs, expected result and displayed result. Do not include an address, household details or health information.
For source context and formula notes, read Sources and Methodology. For privacy and local processing notes, read Security and Local Processing.