Humidity concerns for banks take into account both cash and customers. Any bank necessarily stores a certain amount of currency on-site, plus generating a wealth of paper documents. In addition, bank branches host hundreds of customers per day. Humidity concerns for banks must address all these needs by maintaining a consistent indoor environment 24/7.
The common denominator in preserving cash currency and standard paper documents is maintaining indoor humidity within recommended limits. U.S. currency isn’t made of common wood paper fiber, like most paper documents. U.S. bills are instead a 75/25 blend of special cotton/linen paper that is considered water-resistant. However, cash may still be subject to two aspects of high humidity:
- Deterioration of the material over an extended time span due to repeated exposure to excess water vapor.
- Contamination by bacteria, mold, and other pathogens due to water vapor absorbed by cotton/linen cash material under conditions of high humidity.
Indoor conditions that preserve cash and paper documents as well as supporting optimum customer comfort include:
- Keeping indoor humidity in the bank between 45% and 55%.
- Maintaining indoor temperatures in both the customer areas as well as the vault where cash is stored at 75 degrees or below.
Like many office installations, bank branches typically utilize a standard commercial HVAC package unit that incorporates air conditioning, heating, and ventilation functions into a single rooftop-mounted unit serving all interior spaces. The unit’s A/C cooling capacity, including its humidity-extraction function, must be sized to maintain both optimum temperature and humidity levels for preserving cash, documents, and customer comfort. Where seasonal outdoor humidity is high, such as here in North Carolina, a separate dehumidifier unit can be added to augment the humidity-reduction function.
For professional HVAC expertise to address the specific humidity concerns for banks, contact Jackson & Sons.
