How To Overcome Humidity Issues During The Winter

Energy costs typically rise during the winter. This is due to a number of factors. Humidity inside the home as well as the use of fireplaces can affect how much energy it takes for heating and air conditioning. This article will shed light on just how big of an impact humidity has on your energy bills and how you can efficiently use a fireplace.

What does humidity do to your heating and cooling costs?

First off, let’s understand what humidity is. Basically, humidity is the water vapor in the air. Relative humidity or RH is the amount of water vapor present in the air. It can often be confusing to decode just how humidity impacts heating and cooling costs. In general, the lower the humidity levels, the higher your energy costs will be. As the humidity levels drop, air will take in moisture wherever it can find it. The air can even suck out the moisture from your skin through evaporation. This means that as humidity levels drop, you lose moisture in your body to compensate for the low amounts of water vapor in the air. This will then lead to you feeling cold. When you feel cold, it’s only natural to crank up the heat pump. However, this can all be resolved by the use of humidifiers. A humidifier can effectively balance out the humidity in the air, making you feel warm and cozy without the need to make your heat pump work harder. How fireplaces affect overall heating costs Gas or wood-powered fireplaces might seem like a very good source of heat. However, that’s not always the case. According to studies, an open damper on an unused fireplace can increase heating costs by up to 30%. This happens even in a well-insulated house. Tests also concluded that between 80 and 90% of the heat produced by a fireplace simply goes up the chimney unused. That means for every $100 you spend on firewood or gas, you are only just getting $10-20 worth of usable heat. This is because an open fireplace draws air from inside the house and out the chimney. The air inside the house will be replenished by the cold air outside. This will then cause your heating and air conditioner to work harder than normal to normalize the temperature inside the home. However, you can have your Florence HVAC contractor install an insulated fireplace insert. The insulated insert will limit the amount of air that gets drawn in. It also helps to use the right type of firewood allows for heat to stay longer and more efficiently. Also, you should have any drafts in your home sealed properly. For that, you can contact Florence HVAC Experts. It is important to pull out all the stops to ensure energy consumption does not spike during winter. A quick check by your local HVAC contractor will make a huge difference.

Make sure your HVAC system is running efficiently all year-round. Call Florence HVAC Experts for all your heating and cooling needs. You may reach us at (843) 636-3260.

Florence HVAC Experts Florence, SC 29501 843-636-3260 http://florencehvacexperts.com/

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