As spring progresses and we only have warmer weather to look forward too, we look forward to summer excursions to the beach or even to the pools in our own backyards. Water does a lot to help cool us down—that is, unless there’s a large amount of it present in the air.
That’s right, we’re talking about humidity—something us Floridians are well aware of! Humidity is the amount of moisture (water vapor) present in the air, and although it doesn’t directly impact the temperature, it makes the air around us feel a lot warmer than it normally would. When it comes to your home, this humidity leaves you looking for a solid Gulf Breeze, FL indoor air quality solution.
The Impact of Humidity on Your Home Comfort
The ideal relative humidity levels in the average home are between 30-50%. When it exceeds this level, your body starts feeling warmer, even when your air conditioner running.
Your body cools off naturally, through sweat. As the sweat evaporates off of your skin, you feel cooler. But if there are already high levels of moisture in the air, then the sweat cannot evaporate as easily, and thus leaving you feeling even warmer.
Can I Just Use My AC to Dehumidify?
Your cooling system can help, a little, to control the humidity level in your home. There’s a component called the evaporator coil, which is where refrigerant evaporates and absorbs heat as it moves through your indoor and outdoor units. As it does this, the coil cools off immensely, and moisture in the air condenses on the coil—this means there is less moisture in the air blowing back into your home.
When you use your air conditioner, the humidity level does drop—to an extent. As you’re likely very well aware, it’s not always cheap to use your air conditioner as much as we need to in our local communities. But when you’re using it to dehumidify, it’s working even harder, increasing its wear and tear as well as its energy use.
The Benefits of Adding a Dehumidifier to Your Home
As you can see from above, using your air conditioner to dehumidify your home is not the best choice. However, you can add a whole-house dehumidifier to your HVAC system in order to lower the moisture levels in your indoor air, and stay more comfortable, with a number of additional benefits:
Save Money: When you run your dehumidifier, you’ll be able to raise the temperature of your air conditioner, and potentially even shut it off on cooler days. This allows you to use a lot less energy, and therefore save money.
Protect Your Cooling System: Naturally, you probably want to hold off on replacing your air conditioner for as long as possible. Adding a dehumidifier to your HVAC system helps to reduce wear and tear on the system so you can keep it around longer.
Improve Your Indoor Air Quality: By lowering the moisture levels in your home, you can help to prevent or at least greatly reduce the growth of mold and mildew, which is a big part of why it’s recommended to get a whole-house system versus a portable dehumidifier.
To learn more about how a professional dehumidifier installation can benefit you and your home,