Here in the Tennessee Valley, we know all about humidity, and in the summertime, we count on our air conditioners to remove humidity from our homes. But the air conditioner alone can only do so much. To protect your home and improve your family’s comfort, you can upgrade your air conditioner by adding a whole-house dehumidifier.
First off, we all know that excessive humidity can be uncomfortable. When it’s hot, humidity adds to the misery, leaving you feeling sticky and overheated because your sweat won’t evaporate efficiently. If the humidity is high in your home, you’ll have to set the thermostat at a lower temperature in order to be comfortable, which means using more energy and paying higher utility bills. By lowering the humidity, you can make your home more comfortable without turning down the thermostat.
But decreasing the humidity in your home isn’t simply a matter of comfort. Excess indoor humidity can damage your wood flooring and furniture, causing it to warp or rot. It can cause mold and mildew to grow in your walls or your carpets. Excess humidity can even lead to insects breeding inside your home, as well as dust mites. Mold, mildew, and dust mites are all major allergy triggers and can cause symptoms in those with asthma.
Unlike portable dehumidifiers, the whole-house dehumidifier is convenient, quiet, and out of the way, installed as part of your HVAC system. And of course, it will dehumidify your whole house, instead of just one room at a time!
In addition to whole-house applications, dehumidifiers can also be useful in crawl spaces. Mold and mildew thrive in humid crawl spaces. Since some of the air inside your home comes up from the crawlspace, mold and mildew under your house can quickly turn into mold and mildew inside your house. In addition, humid crawl spaces attract termites, which work along with the dampness to rot and destroy the wood structures of your home.
All in all, it’s clear that upgrading your home with a dehumidifier can not only make you more comfortable—it can also help to protect your investment in your home, as well as your family’s health.