Every summer, homeowners crank their air conditioning lower and lower, hoping to escape sweltering heat. Yet, sometimes, many of those homeowners still feel sticky, restless, and uncomfortable, even when the thermostat shows the house should feel cool. The culprit is often something your thermostat isn’t telling you: humidity.
As electricity costs continue to rise, really understanding how indoor humidity affects in-home comfort can help you make smarter decisions about when to run your air conditioner, when to use a dehumidifier, and how to create a healthier indoor environment without using more energy than you need.
Fortunately, you don’t need an expensive home automation system to gain insight into humidity. With a smart indoor temperature and humidity monitor, you can make better-informed decisions based on real-time conditions inside your home.
Indoor Temperature Tracking Doesn’t Provide the Entire Picture
Given its prevalence (perhaps in your car, on your computer’s home screen, or on your watch), it’s easy to focus entirely on temperature when it comes to comfort. However, the human body experiences comfort through a combination of temperature and humidity.
Humidity is the measure of water vapor, or moisture, in the air. When indoor humidity climbs, sweat evaporates more slowly from your skin. Since evaporation is one of the body’s primary cooling mechanisms, high humidity makes you feel warmer than the actual air temperature. That’s why a home at 74°F can feel refreshingly cool one day and uncomfortably muggy the next.
Not only does your air conditioner cool the air, but it also removes moisture. However, depending on outdoor conditions, insulation, ventilation, and your home’s size, your air conditioner may struggle to keep humidity at comfortable levels without running longer than necessary.
Keeping tabs on both the temperature and humidity inside your home is easy with an AcuRite Thermometer and Hygrometer combo, which can help provide a much clearer picture of your indoor comfort conditions and potential energy usage.
Humidity vs. Heat Index: What’s the Difference?
These two terms may sound similar, and sometimes are even used interchangeably, but they are certainly different. Humidity measures the amount of in-air moisture and is typically expressed as relative humidity (RH), which is the percentage of moisture the air holds compared to its maximum capacity at a given temperature. The heat Index combines air temperature and relative humidity to estimate how hot conditions actually feel to the human body.
For example, if the air temperature is 90°F and the RH is 70%, the heat index equates to approximately 106°F. Even though the thermometer reads 90°F, your body experiences conditions much closer to 106°F because the moisture in the air limits your body’s ability to cool itself.
While the heat index is commonly used outdoors, and is easily trackable with an AcuRite Optimus Weather Station, the same principle applies indoors. High indoor humidity can make your home feel significantly warmer than the thermostat indicates.
Why Indoor Humidity Matters
Personal comfort for you and your family is only one reason to monitor humidity. Maintaining healthy indoor humidity levels, typically between 40% and 50% in the summer and between 30% and 50% in winter, can also help protect your home, keep your health, and improve indoor air quality.
When indoor humidity is consistently too high, you may experience:
- Mold and mildew growth
- Musty odors
- Increased dust mites
- Warped wood flooring or furniture
- Condensation on windows
- Reduced cooling efficiency
On the other hand, humidity that’s too low can contribute to:
- Dry skin
- Dry eyes
- Irritated sinuses
- Static electricity
- Cracked wood furniture
Monitoring humidity throughout your home using an AcuRite 4-Zone Hygrometer helps you stay within the ideal ranges and protect sensitive areas or items from damage.
Air Conditioning and Saving Energy with Data-Driven Decisions
Some assume that if they feel uncomfortable, lowering the thermostat will help. However, lowering the thermostat several degrees may increase energy consumption without solving the actual problem.
If your home is 72°F inside with 65% RH, the temperature may look comfortable, but that high humidity level is making you and your home feel sticky. Instead of lowering the thermostat to 69°F and forcing your air conditioner to run much longer, turning on a dehumidifier will help to remove excess moisture, making the room feel noticeably cooler while using less energy.
The easiest way to save energy and reduce your unnecessary cooling costs is to understand what’s happening inside your home with an AcuRite Pro Digital Comfort Meter.
Monitoring indoor temperature and humidity levels allows you to:
- Avoid overcooling your home
- Know when a dehumidifier will be more effective than lowering the thermostat
- Maintain consistent indoor comfort
- Reduce unnecessary HVAC runtime
- Help lower monthly energy costs
Instead of reacting based on how warm a room feels, you can respond using real environmental data, which is especially valuable during periods of extreme summer humidity when outdoor conditions change rapidly throughout the day.
AcuRite Smart Monitoring Makes It Even Easier
Today’s connected-home technology makes monitoring indoor comfort simpler than ever. With an AcuRite Smart Wi-Fi Temperature and Humidity Monitor, you can keep an eye on your home’s indoor environment from virtually anywhere using the AcuRite NOW app on your smartphone.
Real-time indoor readings help you understand changing conditions throughout the day so you can make smarter decisions about cooling and humidity management. Whether you’re at work, traveling, or simply relaxing outside, you’ll know what’s happening inside your home.
Having continuous visibility into temperature and humidity adds another layer of confidence to your smart home. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to check conditions before arriving home, monitor finished basements, protect sensitive assets, and monitor vacation homes remotely.
Plus, the knowledge that smart monitoring provides helps your home become more energy efficient. Small adjustments based on accurate indoor measurement readings can make a big difference in utility bills.
Instead of relying solely on your thermostat this summer, take a step into the connected-home world with AcuRite technology. Optimize your home for ideal comfort and slash your energy bills by making better-informed decisions. No matter the season, get started today to ready your home!