Sensors, Actuators & Accuracy6 / 13
Humidity, Pressure, Flow Sensors
Humidity (RH), pressure, flow measurement; common sensor types and issues.
10 min read · Jacob Willis, Net Zero Lead · Last reviewed July 2026
Temperature is the measurement buildings take most, but it is not the only one that drives energy use. Humidity decides how hard air conditioning works on the latent load, duct and pipe pressures decide how fast fans and pumps must run, and flow measurements underpin how boilers and chillers modulate. Each of these sensors, placed or calibrated badly, drives waste just as surely as a drifted temperature sensor does, and the pressure ones in particular sit on top of one of the largest saving opportunities in the building. This lesson covers the three.
In this lesson
- 01Humidity
- 02Pressure: small sensor, large saving
- 03Flow
- 04Sources and further reading