Summer in North Carolina often brings long stretches of hot, humid weather. Most Durham residents are accustomed to soupy conditions when they step outdoors, but high indoor humidity is another story. In addition to making you feel sticky and uncomfortable, excessive humidity in your home can contribute to poor indoor air quality. Fortunately, protecting your comfort and wellness may be easier than you think.
Eliminate Excessive Moisture With a Dehumidifier
As a general rule, experts often recommend keeping your indoor humidity between about 30 and 50 percent. Above this range, you’ll start feeling less comfortable as your body’s evaporative cooling process becomes less efficient. You may feel the need to crank up the air conditioning to compensate, consuming more energy and stressing your system. Excessive moisture also creates more favorable conditions for mold, dust mites and other indoor pollutants.
The simplest way to correct this imbalance is to invest in a whole-home dehumidifier. A dehumidifier can easily be added to your existing HVAC system to quietly, effectively and efficiently control moisture levels. Alternatively, many can also be used as standalone systems to treat specific rooms or problem areas in your home. For best results, be sure to have your system properly sized and installed by a professional.
Promote Health and Comfort with Proper Ventilation
Many modern homes are built to be virtually airtight. This is great for efficiency, but it also creates a real problem. Cooking, bathing and other everyday activities add moisture to the air inside your home. If your home is sealed up tight, that moisture can become trapped inside. The result is often stale, humid air that can feel downright oppressive.
Whole-home ventilators solve this problem by providing a controlled exchange of air between your home and the outdoor environment. As moisture-laden air is pulled from inside your home, it’s replaced by fresh, filtered air from outside. This exchange is balanced to promote more comfortable, healthy air without making your home less energy-efficient.
When the weather turns steamy in the Tar Heel State, don’t let your Durham home fall victim to excessive humidity. Call the HVAC specialists at Lee Air Conditioning for all your comfort and indoor air quality needs.
