We have a townhouse, (2 floors of living space and a basement) in NYC and use only window a/c. Would a dehumidifier help? I know that reducing the humidity will help the air feel cooler, but will the cost of running the unit outweigh the benefits?
2007-06-29 05:27:33 · 7 answers · asked by Cashe 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
very good question..the thing i would think would help you in deciding this is that if you use the dehumidifier... the air conditioner will not have to run near as much to cool your home because the dehumidifier lowered the humidity and made it easier for your ac to cool your townhouse....so there might not be much difference in your utility billl because each unit helps the other to work better...also make sure it has a humidastat on it...what this does is sense the amount of moisture in the air and you can adjust it to run more or to run less
2007-06-29 05:47:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
We had a dehumidifier for awhile and used it in the bedroom. It definitely made the air quality much better because it filters the air at the same time it's dehumidifying. The only problem is it uses almost the same amount of electricity as a small window unit (about 5 amps) and ours was either on or off, so if we slept with it on it ran for 8 hours straight.
I'm certain it would allow your A/C to run less since most of the work the A/C is doing is drying air, but IMO it probably wouldn't save money in the long run.
2007-06-29 05:47:20 · answer #2 · answered by brianalan_7 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The dehumidifier will probably give you more benefit in the basement where you may not have window's to run and A/C If you are considering running a dehumidifier instead of an A/C, I doubt the dehumidifier is that much more efficient than an A/C. Plus when you consider the extra cost of buying the dehumidifier, it would have to be significantly more energy efficient.
If you want a better picture, go to the store and look at the energy label on a dehumidifier to see how much energy it consumes and compare that to your A/C (or a similar A/C if yours does not have an energy label).
2007-06-29 05:52:04 · answer #3 · answered by Tucci 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
a/c and dehumidifiers work on the same principal...and an a/c unit actually cannot cool if the relative humidity in the space it is operating is too high...it will first dehumidify the space (this is all the water dripping out of the drainpan on the outside of your house) then it can start to cool the space...if the window a/c you are using is doing a good enough job, stick with it...if you find that it runs for very extended periods and your basement area is still fairly damp then consider either a dehumidifer or a larger a/c unit and you will be happy as a pig in a poke.
2007-06-29 10:48:39 · answer #4 · answered by smokin_rob70 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Dehumidifiers do lower humidity but they also throw off a lot of heat. It's like running an extra refridgerator.
2007-06-29 10:32:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
If you are comfortable with just the window units, I would not use a de-humidifier. The window units should do a fairly good job with the humidity. Running the de-humidifier will run your electric bill up. Try using some circulating fans. I keep my thermostat on 80 and use ceiling fans. Works great for me.
2007-06-29 05:39:49 · answer #6 · answered by bugear001 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I wouldn't use a dehumidifier unless you have a room that tends to stay wet or moist like a basement.
If you get a room too dry, that can make you more susceptible to colds or a soar throat, etc.
2007-06-29 05:58:46 · answer #7 · answered by devilishblueyes 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋