As people try to cut down on their energy usage, be it for budgetary or climate-protection reasons, air conditioning is often the first thing to go. People use fans, get blackout curtains, and more, and that does cut down the need to use artificial cooling. However, the reduced use of that cooling appliance means you'll have more humidity in your home, and that has adverse effects of its own. Saving energy is good, but you may not want to totally stop using that air conditioner. This article will help you understand why.
Dehumidification as Part of Cooling
As your air conditioner runs hot air through its system, cooling it off, it removes a lot of the moisture from that air. What goes back out into the room is much drier than what when into the appliance. The less you use your air conditioner, the less you dry out the air. So, even if you use the air conditioner sometimes, the humidity level will simply creep back up. That air conditioner is a two-for-one deal where you get both cooling and drying at the same time, and reducing one reduces the other.
Appliances Function Better
Humidity affects not only how you feel, but how your appliances perform, particularly your refrigerator and freezer. Humid air can be cold, of course, but warm humid air in the summer really affects the ability of the refrigerator and freezer to battle condensation and ice. Whenever you open one of those doors, warm, humid air will rush in, and that leads to condensation inside the compartment. When you close that door and the temperature inside the compartment starts to drop again, the condensation can freeze up. You end up with icy sides and shelves that could eventually make it harder for the appliance to keep a consistent temperature.
You Feel Better
Humidity is what makes heat feel so bad, and why people in hot, dry climates tend to feel better in all that heat than people in wet, warm climates, where the temperature may not be as high, but the humidity is high. A similar phenomenon occurs in your home. The humidity makes the room feel worse, even if you manage to keep it rather cool without an air conditioner. Turn on the air conditioner and run it for a bit, and you'll notice that the dampness in the room seems to go away.
If you truly can't use your air conditioning, at least get a dehumidifier. You can find small ones at reasonable prices. If you can, however, use the air conditioner along with your energy-saving tactics, and run the dehumidifiers when the AC isn't on. Have the AC inspected and tuned up so that you get the best possible performance from the appliance.
For more information, contact local HVAC services.
