How To Deal With Crazy Humidity
You've almost certainly heard that it's not the heat but the humidity that's making you uncomfortable, but have you ever really done anything about the humidity? Most people don't even have any idea what the humidity level is in their home. If you want the lowest electric bills possible while increasing your comfort and decreasing your home maintenance costs, you need to learn about humidity and how to manage it.
Why Humidity Is Bad For Your Home
Higher humidity makes you feel warmer at the same temperature than you would with low humidity. This of course reduces your comfort, but it isn't even the biggest problem with humidity.
High humidity can actually cause damage to your home. That's why many leases require renters to run their air conditioner or keep their home at a specific temperature.
Humidity can warp your paint and cause wood, such as your furniture and wall support beams, to expand. When the wood dries out again, it shrinks, loses structural integrity, and has gaps that leave it open to rot and mold growth.
Where Humidity Comes From
Outside air is one of the biggest sources of home humidity. Even if you always leave your windows and doors closed, the humid outside air mixes with your inside air each time you come in through your door.
Humidity also comes from water sources inside your home. This can include evaporation from showers, sinks, pet water bowls, and toilets, condensation created when you cook or do laundry, and excess water given to household pets. Wet bathing suits, umbrellas, and shoes that are left inside to dry also add to humidity.
Is Your Air Conditioner Getting the Job Done?
Your air conditioner actually pulls a lot of moisture out of the air when it runs and drains it outside. In many homes, the air conditioner is the only way that humidity is eliminated.
However, your air conditioner only dehumidifies when it's running, so it won't help you during mild weather or during the winter.
Consider Adding a Separate Dehumidifier
Dehumidifiers cost much less to run than an air conditioner and can save you a lot of money in the long run. Instead of turning your air conditioner up when the temperature is in the high 70s because you feel muggy, the dehumidifier will remove the humidity, decrease your feels like temperature, and allow you to save the air conditioner for a true heat wave.
To get a quote on a humidifier or to learn more about how your air conditioner helps to control humidity, contact a company like Copper Valley Mechanical Contractors Ltd.
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