How High Humidity Increases Your Cooling Costs in Shepherdsville, KY
When the high summer humidity in Shepherdsville, KY kicks in, homeowners depend on their air conditioners to cool them down and dehumidify their home. They may not know, however, that high humidity also leads to higher electric bills. Here are the reasons that high humidity increases your cooling costs.
Humid Air Retains Heat
One of the reasons that humid days feel so uncomfortable is that humid air retains more heat than dryer air. That also means your home’s air conditioning system has to work longer to extract the heat from the air and lower the indoor temperature. Longer running time means more electricity use, leading to higher bills.
Humidity Alters Temperature Perception
Humid air also interferes with the process of evaporation, which our bodies rely on as a way of cooling down. As a result, we’ll feel warmer on humid days than the air temperature might indicate. That leads many to lower their thermostats to compensate, and that drives up electricity usage and costs.
Some ACs Will Run Continuously to Decrease Humidity
Another reason that humidity increases cooling costs is that only a properly sized AC system can effectively remove the humidity from a home’s air. Undersized systems will run continuously to try and cope with the humidity, while oversized systems won’t run for long enough to extract humidity from the air. In either case, the result is inefficient operation and higher humidity that will drive up your cooling costs.
The good news is that keeping cool when the humidity rises doesn’t have to cost a fortune. The addition of a dehumidifier or additional ventilation can help you to contain your cooling costs. Contact Birkhead Co. Heating and Air Conditioning today, we have solutions to high humidity problems. We can install a dehumidifier to help your AC system or a new AC system may be needed. We can install a new AC that’s more efficient and can deal with humidity while saving you money on your cooling costs.
Image provided by iStock