Your home can be stuffy and uncomfortable thanks to the Florida humidity, and can even affect your health. Hopefully, the humidity in your home isn’t quite that bad. Many homeowners in Largo, Florida, experience more indoor humidity than necessary. This humidity makes your home uncomfortable, is bad for air quality, and puts strain on your HVAC system. Attacking indoor humidity will create a more comfortable home and lower monthly energy bills. Here’s how lower humidity can benefit you and your home.
HVAC Strain
HVAC systems are finely-tuned machines. Even one seemingly insignificant element can reduce your HVAC system’s efficiency. The inescapable Florida heat can certainly create problems. When the air becomes filled with moisture, your system works harder to keep your home cool and comfortable. This places strain on the system that lowers its efficiency, raising energy costs and potentially reducing its lifespan.
The humid conditions also provide the ideal environment for molds to grow inside your HVAC system. Spores and mold growth on parts of your system can affect performance. Even worse as air passes through the system, the spores get carried with the air through the ductwork, and into your home. This is harmful to all occupants, whether or not respiratory problems already exist.
So What Should You Do?
The solution is to actively control humidity. The ideal humidity level in a home should be about 60 percent with an indoor temperature between 68 and 75 degrees. One key to reducing indoor humidity is ventilation. Make sure that the air is moving, especially in areas where moisture is generated, such as the bathroom or kitchen. Use your exhaust fans. Also consider installing a whole-home dehumidifier. These are installed as part of your HVAC system and maintain ideal humidity levels.
Too much humidity is more than just an annoyance. It can have adverse effects on your health, home, comfort, and your HVAC system. Overall, your system works harder as you try to keep comfortable, and the extra effort will be reflected on your energy bill. So take control of your home’s humidity. If you have more questions regarding humidity in your home, or would like help getting it under control.