DEHUMIDIFIERS & HUMIDIFIERS
Relative humidity can determine how comfortable we feel. Humidity is the quantity of water in the air. Too much humidity makes you feel hotter than normal. By simply removing water from the air we can “cool” it down without changing the temperature of the air.
Humidifiers and dehumidifiers work to either add or remove water from the air. In some homes these devices are essential for maintaining comfort and healthy air, but they can also add significantly to your electric bill.
By knowing how to use them properly and using a humidity gauge (hygrometer), you can properly regulate your humidity and manage your electric bill.
The most common humidifier is the evaporative, or wick, humidifier. It works by evaporating water into the air, thereby increasing relative humidity levels. As the humidity level rises, less water will evaporate.
The process regulates itself very efficiently. Another type of humidifier is called the forced-air humidifier. This unit attaches to your home’s furnace. There are two styles, drum style, and the flow-through style.
Unfortunately most modern, high-efficiency forced air furnaces don’t run long enough when heating to let much water get absorbed into the air. Many people choose to supplement the forced air humidifier with a room humidifier.
Dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air. The usual technique used to remove the moisture is to condense the moisture onto a cold surface. A dehumidifier is simply an air conditioner that has both its hot and cold coils in the same box.
A fan draws the room’s air over the cold coil of the air conditioner to condense the moisture (which normally drips into a bucket). The dry air then passes through the hot coil to heat it back up to its original temperature. If you have a room that is air conditioned, it should not need a dehumidifier. The air conditioner is already doing the dehumidifying for you.
By maintaining proper humidity you can avoid respiratory problems, insomnia and fungal skin infections, dry noses, and dry skin. High humidity aids the spread of mold. Mold spores become dormant or die when the relative humidity is low. Dust mites (another common cause for allergies and asthma) also die when the humidity stays below 50 percent.
You should clean your humidifier on a regular basis using the manufacturer’s guidelines. Ensure you have the proper settings by checking the humidity setting against a room humidity gauge. Indoor humidity levels should be between 30 to 50 percent with the ideal level being 45 percent.
For winter usage, when temperatures are above 20 degrees, the recommended humidity level is between 35 percent and 40 percent. Below 20 degrees a lower level of 15 percent is recommended.
Humidifiers will consume an average of 20 to 50 kWh a month depending on use. Dehumidifiers can use 100 to 600 kwh per month.
Bill Garey is Cherryland’s energy advisor, with 32 years of experience.
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