The biggest challenge facing many homeowners this summer is keeping their home comfortable at an affordable price. This is often difficult at best because we rely on air conditioning systems to provide this source of comfort, and their operating costs aren’t cheap. Before you give up and suffer through the heat, consider other ways that you can increase comfort while decreasing the workload on the air conditioner. Reducing humidity, the amount of moisture in the air, is one relatively easy way to do just that!
5 Ways to Reduce Humidity in Your Home
- Turn off the Humidifier: Humidity is your air conditioner’s enemy. In order to create a comfortable environment, the air conditioner must first remove moisture from the air. When you are using the humidifier you add extra moisture to already humid air. This places a strain on the air conditioner wasting energy and decreasing comfort.
- Maximize the Use of Fans and Vents: The kitchen and bathrooms have fans and vents for a reason. These are used not only to pump odors out of the home but also excess moisture! Leave the fan on while cooking and after showers to prevent extra moisture from building up in the home.
- Corral Indoor Plants: If you have a lot of house plants scattered throughout the home, you are adding extra moisture to the air. Plants should be kept together in one room or moved to the outdoors to minimize discomfort throughout the summer months.
- Take Shorter, Colder Showers: Steamy showers add a hefty amount of moisture to the air that the fan will work overtime to remove. Not all the moisture will be pumped out before it affects the air conditioner. Try taking cooler, faster showers to minimize this source of humidity in your home.
- Keep the Windows Closed: Hot summer days may force you to use the air conditioner, but cool summer nights may encourage you to open the windows and turn off the air. This could be a mistake. The air may be cooler but it is still laden with moisture. You let this moisture in during the night and the air conditioner has to work extra hard to get rid of it during the height of heat the next day.
Implement these concepts in your home and protect your comfort and energy bills from the effects of excess moisture in the air this summer.
