The level of indoor humidity in your home makes a big difference in your comfort and it will affect your energy bills. Humidity drives the “feels like" temperature, which is how your body perceives it versus the actual temperature as measured on a thermometer. The amount of water vapor in the air makes people feel warmer or cooler, regardless of the temperature.Humans use evaporation to cool their bodies and when there’s less humidity in the air, water evaporates faster. When the humidity is higher, evaporation occurs more slowly. You’re much more likely to be comfortable on a hot day with low humidity compared to a warm day with high humidity.
Managing Humidity in the Home
Ideal indoor humidity levels range between 30 and 50 percent year-round. The most efficient way to manage humidity includes central humidifiers and dehumidifiers. They attach to the air handler and will either increase or lower water vapor levels.Both operate automatically using humidistats, similar to thermostats, to keep humidity levels comfortable and healthy throughout the home. These systems require little maintenance and use less energy than using portable humidifiers or dehumidifiers.You can also achieve lower humidity in the summer by:
Using kitchen and bathroom ventilation fans to remove excess water vapor.
Running ceiling fans to increase comfort by evaporating skin moisture faster, although they won’t change the air temperature.
Verifying the clothes dryer vents outdoors.
Using dehumidifiers in unconditioned basements.
Increase humidity in the winter by avoiding the use of the kitchen and bathroom fans and supplementing it with indoor plants, simmering water on the stove, or using portable humidifiers or vaporizers.
The Benefits
The primary benefits of managing humidity levels are greater health and comfort along with lower cooling and heating bills. In the summer, lowering the level reduces cooling costs and in the winter, increasing it trims heating bills. Your health and that of your home also improve when the humidity stays between the recommended ranges.To learn more about indoor humidity and maintaining a healthy level, contact the pros at Air Assurance, providing HVAC services for the Broken Arrow region.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about humidity and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.