How Humidity Affects Your HVAC Systems

Most people know that excessive humidity can make them feel even hotter during the warmer months of the year. It comes as no surprise, then, that it has a major impact on the effectiveness of air conditioning systems. What people don't often realize is that humidity has an effect on heating systems as well. When the humidity in a space is too high or low, achieving optimal indoor comfort is easier said than done. Portable Air offers various models of temporary air conditioning as well as dehumidifiers that keep relative humidity levels in check. At All Pro AC and Heating we have the answers and the ability to repair.

HOW HUMIDITY LEVELS AFFECT AIR CONDITIONING

Air conditioners cool spaces by removing heat and moisture from the air. When humidity levels are excessive, they need to work a lot harder. If the equipment doesn't have sufficient cooling capacity, it may be unable to cope with extreme humidity. As a result, the space may never feel truly comfortable. A few common signs of high indoor humidity include:

Moist, clammy air. In fact, your skin may feel clammy when you're inside your home.

Foggy windows. This happens because humidity is vaporized water in the air. When it becomes bottled up in the space, it may fog up the windows.

A musty odor. Excessive humidity causes dampness around the home and can eventually lead to this unpleasant problem.

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS & HUMIDITY

In theory, an air conditioning system should be able to remove moisture from the air. When the humidity levels spike, however, most systems can't cope. Humidity affects air conditioning negatively because it cancels out the cooling effect. When the humidity is too high, your home/office will feel warmer than it actually is. You'll have to keep your air conditioning system running but won't derive nearly as many benefits from using it. In other words, you'll pay more to cool your home but won't actually cool it that effectively.

AIR CONDITIONING & COOLING CAPACITY

People often assume that the larger and more powerful an air conditioner is, the more effectively it can cool a space. That's not necessarily true. If your air conditioner's capacity is much larger than needed, it won't be able to remove moisture as effectively. In turn, the spaces that you are looking to control, humidity levels will remain high. This is because more powerful air conditioners don't need to run as much, so they don't get a chance to remove as much moisture from the air. This is why it's crucial to size the correct unit to meet each need.

DEHUMIDIFIERS

The single best way to content with humidity when trying to cool a space is by having a dehumidifier installed. This simple appliance will pull moisture from the air, trapping the condensation, before dispersing the condensation out of the area. Dehumidifiers can be paired with air conditioning systems, which allows you to adjust the temperature and humidity level of the space in one fell swoop. When humidity levels are kept in check inside the space you are controlling during the summer, air conditioners are able to do their jobs much more effectively. You will notice that you feel cooler and more refreshed under these conditions.

HOW HUMIDITY AFFECTS HEATING

If high humidity causes problems while trying to cool a space during the summer, low humidity wreaks a special havoc of its own during the winder. Humidity affects heating, but it does so in the opposite way. Humidity levels drop dramatically during the winter. In turn, relative humidity levels inside the space drop as well. In fact, they can drop so much that they can make space feel a lot cooler than it actually is.
Ideally, the thermostat in a home should be set between 71 and 77 degrees. This is optimal in terms of comfort and cost. However, this range won't produce truly comfortable results if humidity levels fall below 50 percent. When that happens, the apparent temperature in a space, which is how warm or cool a space actually feels, will be too low.

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