Regardless of the climate you live in, relative humidity can interfere with the comfort of your home.
Most homeowners know that proper maintenance for their furnace and air conditioner are critical to indoor comfort, but many overlook the ways that relative humidity can interfere with HVAC performance.
Managing relative humidity in your home should be a top priority if you want to maximize HVAC efficiency and improve the comfort of your indoor living environment.
What Is Relative Humidity?
Air has the capacity to hold water vapor. The exact volume of water vapor the air is capable of retaining varies based on the ambient temperature of the air itself. Relative humidity is an expression of the percentage of water vapor present in the air.
Relative humidity plays an integral role in determining comfort levels in your home by influencing the perceived temperature inside your residence. The higher the relative humidity level, the warmer your residence will feel.
How Does Relative Humidity Affect Cooling?
The relative humidity level inside your home has a direct impact on your air conditioner’s ability to maintain a cool environment. Modern air conditioners reduce air temperature by removing moisture from the air that circulates throughout your home.
As relative humidity levels rise, your air conditioner may not be able to remove enough moisture to achieve ideal temperatures. The result is a home that feels warmer than it actually is.
In addition to interfering with your personal comfort, high relative humidity levels can take a toll on the integrity of your home by fueling mold growth and warping wood surfaces.
How Does Relative Humidity Affect Heating?
Relative humidity not only affects your HVAC system’s cooling capacity, but it can interfere with heating as well. Humidity levels tend to drop in the winter because the air’s capacity to hold water vapor is reduced at lower temperatures.
The reduction in relative humidity that occurs during the winter months makes the air inside your home feel cooler than it actually is. Your furnace will have to work harder to keep your home comfortable, and you will have to pay for the added energy needed to fuel this higher workload.
Dry air can also contribute to respiratory irritation and dry skin.
What Is the Ideal Relative Humidity?
Managing relative humidity inside your home is an easy way to ensure you are maximizing the efficiency of your HVAC system.
Experts agree that relative humidity levels should stay between 30%Â and 50% during the warmer months of the year. Bring relative humidity levels down a bit during the colder months to prevent your windows from fogging up inside.
The best way to regulate your home’s relative humidity is to install a moisture control system that pairs effectively with your existing HVAC components.
How Do Moisture Control Systems Work?
An experienced HVAC technician can measure relative humidity and install a treatment system that will balance moisture levels in your home. These systems typically consist of a humidifier and a dehumidifier.
When relative humidity drops below a predefined level, a humidifier will automatically add moisture to the air in your vents before it is released into your home. The addition of moisture helps increase relative humidity to a more comfortable and efficient level.
A dehumidifier works in much the same way, but it removes moisture from the air inside your vents. This helps to lower relative humidity so the air inside your home feels cooler.
An active effort to control moisture levels in your home can reduce your energy costs, improve HVAC efficiency, and protect the health of your family.
Contact Apollo Heating & Air Conditioning to learn more about the benefits of adding a moisture control system to your home.
