WARNING: It’s Not The Heat, It’s The Humidity
With the exception of having annual maintenance performed on your air conditioner, this is the best advice we can offer you this sumer as you find a balance between turning on your air conditioning and opening windows.
We all have a breaking point with the summer heat when we finally breakdown and turn the air conditioning on. Before that happens you may use solutions like fans, opening the windows, or standing with your face in the freezer.
But once you start using the air conditioning regularly you have to remember this one important tip. This tip is crucial because it will keep your system from running all the time and will result in saving you lots of money.You’ve probably heard a saying similar to this; it’s not the heat that’s killing me, it’s the humidity.
This statement, while quite true for people, is most definitely a fact when it comes to cooling your home. You air conditioner can do a very good job of lowering the temperatures in your home, but before it can do that it has to remove the humidity from the air. And if there’s a lot of it, this can take a while for temperatures to lower and your home to feel cooler.
But I always keep my house closed up tight when it’s hot and the air conditioner is running, you might be thinking to yourself. If you do, that’s great, you’re ahead of the game. But there is a time when you’re allowing humidity into your home and you may not even realize you’re doing it.
When Humidity Creeps In
It happens at night, while you’re sleeping.
Yeah it’s true. The sun goes down, it gets a little cooler, and it seems like a good time to turn the air conditioning off and open up the windows for some fresh air.
But hold up. If there’s a lot of humidity in the air entering your home through open windows it can result in your system working harder and you paying more money to get your desired cool temperatures the next day.
The solution?
Keep your windows shut at night and instead turn your furnace fan on and raise the temperature setting on your thermostat. If it’s cooler outside, then your home can maintain the indoor temperatures for a longer period of time. Keeping your system’s fan on will help circulate the cooler air on lower levels to the upper levels where warmer air, and possibly your bedroom, tends to be.
Over time you’ll be saving money because when your air conditioner begins running in the morning it will not have to work as hard to remove the humidity in the air from having open windows. Now granted, there are some nights when it will be really hot and humid. Your system may still have to run at times to maintain your set temperature.
If there are nights where humidity is relatively low and it’s cool outside, then feel free to open your windows and let fresh air into your home. Again, it’s the humidity that is an issue, not necessarily the hot temperature.
We hope this helps you out as you enjoy the few summer months we have here in Wisconsin. If you have any questions about your air conditioning or how to keep energy costs low, please email or call our office at (262) 728-1655.
