Homeowners in the Salt Lake City area are not commonly victims of high humidity. In fact, our winters are quite dry, and during this time your home will benefit from more humidity. However, summertime does bring some hot, stuffy days. Albeit rare, humid days can make your home feel excessively uncomfortable, and can make your air conditioning system work even harder to cool your home.
This means it’s not working as efficiently as it otherwise would, and you are wasting money on cooling your home. In fact, increased levels of humidity during the summer can force standard AC systems to run longer than normal, and can make swamp coolers—also called evaporative coolers—completely ineffective. So how do you deal with this excess humidity?
Ventilation
Nobody wants to open their windows or doors to let fresh air in while running their air conditioner. This means your air conditioner will keep running. Opening windows in place of using the AC system is a bad idea as well. In fact, if you leave your windows open at night, if it’s been raining or you’ve used sprinklers, then the next day your air conditioner will have to work more than twice as hard to remove the humidity you let in.
So to reduce moisture without opening windows, be sure to utilize vent and exhaust fans. Common areas that need this ventilation include kitchens and bathrooms, where moisture builds up from cooking and showering, respectively. Additionally, washing machines and dryer can affect the amount of moisture found in the air.
Another great way to ventilate your home is with an energy recovery ventilator (ERV). An ERV is a system that allows you to exchange air within your home with outdoor air while minimizing energy loss in the process. In the summer months ahead, an ERV will allow incoming warm air to pass by conditioned air in order to cool it down. This way, you can get fresh air in your home without risking exposure to too much humidity, which is uncomfortable and unhealthy.
For more great HVAC tips and for air conditioning services in Millcreek, UT, contact Design Comfort today!
