If you’re familiar with dehumidifiers, you probably know that they make rooms feel cooler.
Since that’s also what the A/C does, pairing it with a dehumidifier must cut down its workload, right?
A home dehumidifier helps the A/C work less by reducing high indoor humidity levels. Doing so lowers excess moisture and aids the A/C in cooling the home more efficiently. The lower the humidity, the more effectively the cooling system works for your home.
Now that we understand their in-sync teamwork for indoor cooling, we begin by checking your home’s signs of needing a home dehumidifier and the benefits of using it alongside your A/C.
Let us begin!
How a Dehumidifier Helps the A/C Work Less
The A/C needs a home dehumidifier when operating in high-humidity conditions.
The outdoor temperatures affect the indoor atmosphere, which means if it is hot and humid outside, the AC inside might be unable to handle the increased cooling demands.
That is where a dehumidifier comes in.
To understand this better, let’s take a closer look at how a dehumidifier supplements an A/C and reduces its workload.
A Dehumidifier Improves Your A/C’s Efficiency
High humidity makes it hard for the A/C system to remove moisture from the surrounding air.
While an A/C’s primary function is to regulate temperature, extracting excess moisture from indoor air is also part of its scope of duties. So when there’s a lot of air-borne moisture to be removed, the unit has to work more to carry out its secondary function.
But with a dehumidifier, the A/C doesn’t need to do much humidity regulation. That means an A/C has to work less to cool down your indoor space because the humidity is already taken care of.
This is one of the reasons an A/C supplemented by a dehumidifier would consume less energy than a similar unit working solo.
High humidity also makes your A/C less efficient in cooling your indoor spaces because humid air has a higher heat retention capacity than dry air.
As such, indoor air will retain more heat when it’s humid outside, forcing the A/C to work overtime to bring the temperature to a comfortable level.
A dehumidifier removes moisture from the air, lowering its heat retention capacity. Doing so makes it easier for the A/C to bring down temperatures.
A Dehumidifier Reduces the Need to Run an A/C
High humidity makes an indoor environment feel hotter than it actually is because our bodies get rid of excess heat less efficiently when it’s humid. This is why we’re more likely to turn on the A/C when it’s humid.
So, by removing humidity from the air, a dehumidifier makes the indoor environment more conducive to your body’s natural temperature regulation mechanism.
This allows you and your loved ones to cool down more efficiently so you can feel cooler without running your AC as much as you would in high humidity.
Dehumidification also allows you to set your thermostat higher, which reduces the amount of work your A/C has to do to get your indoors to reach the set temperature.
Typically, your A/C has to work harder and longer when you lower the thermostat.
Benefits of Supplementing Your A/C With a Dehumidifier
Here is why pairing a dehumidifier with A/C works beautifully:
1. It Helps Control Moisture
The A/C + dehumidifier combo works wonders in ensuring that your indoor temperature remains constantly cool and comfy.
The home dehumidifier removes the excess moisture from the air, allowing the A/C to cool down the room and set a comfortable temperature more efficiently.
A consistent indoor temperature and humidity level is crucial for your home’s structural longevity because it keeps:
- The paint from peeling
- Wooden furniture safe from swelling or decomposing due to excessive moisture.
- Away wet spots on the walls and ceilings.
2. It Reduces the Overall Energy Bill
Investing in an air conditioner is expensive, so minimizing its energy costs is helpful.
The best way to reduce your air conditioner’s energy consumption is to use it for exactly what it says: cooling. If you have a dehumidifier at home, your A/C does not need to overwork and use excess power to remove moisture from your indoor atmosphere.
The humidifier helps to maintain an ideal humidity level while the A/C keeps the room cool. It does not consume too much energy, making this combo a perfect way to keep energy bills low.
3. It Keeps Mites and Allergens at Bay
If your home or workspace has too much moisture, it will attract various pests, such as:
- Cockroaches
- Mosquitoes
- Spiders
- Silverfish
- Termites
- Ants
These spread quickly and can affect your food, health, and furniture. They often carry dirt and diseases, which is even riskier if you have kids at home.
Additionally, humid and sticky indoor air helps mold growth in your home. A hot and sticky indoor environment also means more allergens in your house, which are potential causes of the following.
- You sneeze a lot.
- Your nose feels stuffy.
- Your eyes feel watery and itchy all the time.
- You get rashes and skin problems.
Thankfully, adding a dehumidifier to your home can help prevent all these problems.
4. Increases the Air Conditioner’s Lifespan
Without a home dehumidifier, an air conditioner has to work harder to remove excess moisture from the air and cool a room.
This overworks the A/C components, shortening the unit’s lifespan.
Adding a dehumidifier to your home eases the burden on your A/C, reducing wear and tear and subsequently extending its lifespan.
Top 3 Signs That You Need a Home Dehumidifier
Knowing when your A/C needs a helping hand from a dehumidifier can be tricky because high humidity is often mistaken for high temperature.
More often than not, we rush to turn on the A/C when our homes feel hotter than normal, oblivious that high humidity might have something to do with our discomfort.
Luckily, all it takes to know when your A/C needs a helping hand is paying closer attention to your surroundings and how you feel.
Here are three signs that scream the need for a dehumidifier:
1. Stuffiness
Does your office space or home have a stale and uncomfortable lingering smell? If so, it is a primary sign of a stuffy room with high humidity.
Other than unpleasant smells, the air might feel sticky and hot. These conditions point to a room with high moisture levels and increased carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations.
2. Indoor Mold Growth
Moisture build-up is the number one culprit behind mold growth. So if mold becomes a lingering problem, you might want to consider investing in a dehumidifier.
This is especially true if the mold problem is accompanied by condensation on cold surfaces like windows.
For more information about mold, its dangers and how to control it, read our article on the subject here.
3. You Feel Tired Too Often
A humid environment often makes people feel low on energy, fatigued and unmotivated to get work done. You might also find it hard to stay up or sleep peacefully in such an environment.
So, if you’ve been tired too often at home or the office and there’s no medical explanation, it’s probably due to high humidity. This is particularly true if exhaustion comes with the other signs discussed above.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that adding a home humidifier helps the A/C to work efficiently in keeping the home dry and free from allergens.
It also helps maintain your home’s structural integrity, keeps you healthier and feeling more energized, and eliminates issues such as mold and unwanted insects.
If you’re interested in ways to reduce your energy bills, why not read our article entitled, “15 Reasons Why Your Electric Bill Is So High“, which could help you find ways to save energy.
