HVAC And Humidifier: A Short Guide

If your house is too cold and you think that turning up the heat will always help, think again. It is not just the temperature setting of your HVAC thermostat that plays a role in making you feel hot or cold inside your home, but also the humidity levels around.

Understanding how humidity affects us

If the humidity level inside your house are high in the winter, you will feel much colder than the thermostat temperature reading. If the humidity is too low, you will also be cold because dry air does not hold heat effectively.

But, low humidity levels inside the house during summers will keep you cool because evaporation of sweat will be faster, thereby removing heat from your body. The right humidity levels can assist your HVAC system in heating or cooling your house better. And moreover, it can lower your energy bills too.

What is the right humidity level? 

It is generally considered that anything between 40-50% is a good humidity level for the human body. Humidity higher than 50% will make you feel uncomfortable but lower than 30% is dangerous as well.

A hydrometer is used to check humidity levels in a particular area. You can check the humidity levels inside your house too so you know whether you need to humidify the air around or dehumidify it.

ACs work as dehumidifiers 

Almost all ACs remove excess moisture from hot air before circulating it inside your house. So your AC is dehumidifying your surroundings.

This makes you feel cooler even when the temperature is not set very low. Low humidity helps you by making you feel cooler without having to turn down the temperature too much, thus saving energy.

On the other hand, a damp place with high humidity levels will not just make you feel uncomfortable but also make your AC work overtime to cool the room. And this will increase your energy bill which is not good even in the age of lower taxes.

You will feel hot and there is also a high risk of mold growth in the house which is dangerous for everyone’s health. It will leave a musty smell in the house too.

Heating units reduce humidity 

Heating a room during winters will take away all the humidity inside. That is the reason many people experience dry cough or extremely dry skin in winters. Furnace systems that are used to heat homes function on a combustion process that removes water vapor from air and rids it of any moisture.

As dry air does not hold heat well, even at a high thermostat temperature, you still feel cold. This results in people cranking up the heat further and increasing energy bills.

Humidifiers 

Many people prefer purchasing stand-along humidifiers that can be used inside the house simultaneously with the heating or cooling available. These help maintain the moisture level in the air. But a better option would be to get a contractor to install a whole-house humidifier on your HVAC system.

There are many variants available in this and the model you choose would depend on the requirements of your home.