How to Reduce Humidity Levels in Your Home This Summer
Hot and muggy summer weather can leave you scrambling indoors for cooling comfort, but an air-conditioned home that feels damp and uncomfortable offers little relief. When the problem is high humidity levels in your Phenix City, Alabama, home, adjusting your AC’s thermostat setting only sends your utility bills soaring. Instead of resigning yourself to a cold and clammy environment, use these tips to identify the causes of high humidity and find solutions.
What Causes High Humidity?
At any given temperature, the air inside your home can only hold so much water vapor before it reaches its dew point. Then the moisture begins to accumulate on every available surface, including your skin. Water intrusion from everything from cooking to washing dishes in hot water can contribute to an excess level of moisture in the air too. Even small holes and gaps in the building envelope can introduce humid air into your home.
Avoid Damaging Consequences
Too-humid air promotes the growth of mold, mildew, and bacteria, which can aggravate or even cause health consequences like asthma and allergies. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that mold can develop in as little as 24 hours, making it critical to address problems quickly before the fungi cause extensive damage to your health and home.
HVAC Solutions
From ventilators to mold-killing UV lamps, your trusted HVAC contractor is a valuable resource when it comes to resolving problems with indoor air quality. For reducing humidity levels, effective options include:
- AC Maintenance – Because air conditioners are engineered to extract water vapor as well as heat from the air, sometimes a comprehensive tune-up is all it takes to make sure your system performs these tasks properly.
- Cleaning for Efficiency – During AC maintenance, our HVAC technicians will also clean the system to remove mold and any other contaminants. Cleaning the filter will also help to increase AC efficiency and humidity control.
- Dehumidifiers – Designed to work with your existing HVAC system, a whole-home dehumidifier effectively removes moisture from your entire home and is an investment that can pay for itself in lower energy bills.
At Riley Heating and Conditioning, we address all of the factors that influence your comfort during the long hot summer in eastern Alabama or western Georgia. For more information, explore our comfort solutions or call us today at 334-298-1278.