Summertime humidity. It’s what makes us uncomfortable. Not so much the heat but the humidity. We turn on our air conditioners to make our homes cooler, but did you know that humidity removal is about 25% of the work we ask our air conditioners to do?
Humidity removal in your home is a pretty simple process. Your air conditioner on the outside causes the A/Coil inside your furnace ductwork to become very cold. Because it is cold, the coil will sweat like a cold glass of your favorite refreshment in the summer. This is actually the moisture in your home being removed. The water is then collected and piped to a nearby drain. Most air conditioners remove between ½ to a gallon of water per hour.
The effects of humidity are great on our bodies. For instance if it is 95 degrees outside with 30% humidity, it will really feel like 95 degrees to our bodies. Now if we raise the humidity to 65% the exact same 95 degrees will feel to our bodies like it is 117! This is why humidity removal is very important because the lower it is, the cooler you will feel at the same temperature. With lower humidity, your body can evaporate water much easier.
So what can we do to ensure proper summertime humidity control in your home?
- Keep all doors and window closed even at night during extended hot/ humid weather. You may think opening them at night when it is cooler is beneficial. This makes sense but although it may be cool outside, the humidity still remains and if you bring it in at night you will have to remove it again on the next day. This actually uses more energy than leaving the house closed up.
- When it’s time to install a new air conditioning system, make sure it is the proper size. An oversized air conditioner does not run long enough during the day and although it will cool your home down quickly, once it stops running so does its humidity removal. Now you have a cool, clammy cave like home, not very comfortable or efficient.
- Try to restrict creating humidity like long hot showers and baths, heavy cooking where you must boil water and heavy laundry usage.
- Keep exhaust fan usage to a minimum.
Every little bit helps.