How Does Humidity Affect Air Conditioning And Heating

Humidity affects the efficiency of HVAC systems in cooling or heating your indoor air. Your heater or air conditioner requires a certain level of humidity in the air for it to produce the required heating/ cooling. Excessive moisture or limited moisture reduces the efficiency of your air conditioner and heater, respectively. A humidifier can be installed, together with your heating system, to increase its effectiveness, and a dehumidifier can be installed together with your air conditioner to increase its effectiveness.

Humidity and heating

During winter, the low temperatures freeze most of the moisture in the air, reducing the air’s humidity level significantly. Low humidity pause a challenge for heating equipment, which must run longer and work harder to heat the now-cold indoor air. It is, however, impossible for the heating equipment to generate the required heat or to maintain a relatively warm air due to the low humidity in the air. Thankfully, property owners/ users can install humidifiers that add moisture to the air, hence raise the humidity levels in indoor air to levels that can attain and maintain optimum heating temperatures.

Humidity and cooling

During summer, the high temperatures increase the amount of moisture that air can air hold. As such, the air has a high moisture content (excessive humidity), which makes the environment (whether indoors or outdoors) feel excessively warm. Indoor cooling is less efficient because the excessive humidity makes the air clammy and heavy. Without additional HVAC equipment, air conditioners are forced to run longer and harder to try and reduce the excessive temperature, almost always without the desired results. To increase the efficiency of air conditioners in the cooling of indoor air, people can introduce dehumidifiers that can remove excessive moisture from the air.

A certain level of humidity is essential for adequate indoor cooling and heating. However, excessive or limited humidity is a challenge to effective heating/ cooling as heating, and cooling equipment are forced to run longer and harder to achieve the desired indoor air temperature. Additional equipment, humidifiers and dehumidifiers, can be installed to add and reduce air moisture, respectively. The addition or reduction of air humidity levels increases HVAC systems efficiency in the indoor heating or cooling.

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