In St. Louis, summer brings more than heat. It brings humidity, too, and all you want to do is seek comfort inside a cool home. But what happens when your home feels hot and sticky?
When humidity levels rise in your home, it takes more effort from your AC unit to cool the home. From increasing energy consumption to causing substantial wear and tear on the system, humidity levels affect your HVAC’s performance more than you realize. Excessive humidity can also make your home feel warmer, causing you to adjust the thermostat constantly. In this post, you’ll learn more about how indoor humidity levels affect your home’s HVAC performance and what you can do to feel cooler and more comfortable in your home this summer.
What Causes High Humidity Levels Indoors?
Ventilation issues and HVAC problems can cause high humidity levels in your home. A home not properly sealed will let in warm outside air. Making sure your doors and windows have no gaps and your home’s properly insulated can help.
Another reason you might have problems with humidity control is the type of air conditioner you have. Many homes in the St. Louis area have older air conditioning models without integrated dehumidifiers that exist in newer systems. Without this integration, the system becomes less effective at removing moisture from the home and cooling the house.
When your home has high humidity levels, it feels warmer than it actually is. Even if the thermostat reads 68 degrees Fahrenheit, it might feel much warmer if moisture remains in the air. To compensate for the temperature inconsistency, you might run the AC more often or keep messing with the thermostat. These actions increase the air conditioner’s energy use, causing it to run longer than necessary. Prolonged use can also lead to maintenance issues and a shortened lifespan.
The Effects of Low Humidity Levels on Indoor Air
Low humidity also affects your HVAC’s performance, especially its heating performance. During the winter, air in the region becomes drier and if you don’t have enough moisture indoors, your home will feel colder than it is. You might keep turning the thermostat up and running the heating system more to try and stay warm. This has the same effect on your HVAC system and your energy costs in the winter as it does in the summer.
How to Manage Humidity Levels
Whether you have too much moisture in your home or too little, you should aim to balance relative humidity levels. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), relative humidity levels should fall between 30 and 60 percent. Anything above or below this range will affect HVAC performance and your home indoor air quality (IAQ).
When air has too little moisture, you might feel allergy symptoms worsen, you become sick more frequently, and might even experience bloody noses or itchy eyes. Too much humidity can contribute to mold growth and you might notice physical symptoms, such as increased respiratory illnesses.
Check out these strategies you can employ to get humidity levels under control.
Use Humidifiers and Dehumidifiers
Standalone, single-room humidifiers and dehumidifiers can add or remove moisture from your home’s air and take stress off the HVAC system. Licensed HVAC professionals can help you choose the right equipment for your home that fits your budget and humidity needs.
If you have one or two rooms with an issue, standalone, single-room units can work well. However, they don’t do as good of a job balancing humidity levels in larger homes. In a situation like this, you might want to consider installing whole-house humidifiers or dehumidifiers. These systems work with your HVAC system to remove or add moisture to the air.
Integrated humidification and dehumidification systems have proven more effective at maintaining optimal indoor humidity levels. They reduce the wear and tear on the system and lower your home’s energy costs.
Install a Modern HVAC System
If it’s time to replace or upgrade your HVAC system, consider replacing it with a modern HVAC system with humidity control. Modern systems have built-in humidity control settings that give you better control over the moisture in your home’s indoor air. They use automation to adjust the humidity levels and contribute to a healthier living environment. Since the system experiences less wear and tear, you might experience fewer humidity-related repairs and your energy bills could decrease substantially.
At Bone Heating & Cooling, we want our customers to feel comfortable in their homes year-round. When indoor humidity levels affect your comfort and HVAC performance, let us help you find the best solutions. We offer traditional heating and air conditioning services and mini-split and new construction heating and cooling services. Ask us about our maintenance agreement, too!
To learn more about our home humidity control products, contact Bone Heating & Cooling today!
