How Humidity Affects Your Electric Bill
When it comes to energy usage, humidity is a big deal. High humidity can increase your electric bill, overheat your air conditioner, and even damage your electrical devices. Fortunately, there are ways to control humidity levels and get healthy, comfortable air in your home. We’ve rounded up 5 ways that humidity can affect your home’s electric bill and how you can fix them.
Increased Electric Bill
Aside from the obvious issues like mold and moisture damage, humid air can also have a big impact on your electric bill. This is because your cooling and heating systems have to work harder to keep your house cool or warm during a humidity spike. In addition to this, the best way to reduce your energy costs is by making sure that your home is properly insulated and ventilated. These measures help to reduce the amount of water vapor in your home’s indoor air, thus reducing the humidity levels. A few minor tweaks can have a significant effect on your electricity bills over time. For example, you might consider installing a ground moisture barrier under your crawl space to minimize the amount of water vapor in the area.
The EPA estimates that homes with excessive humidity spend more than 30 percent more on electric bills than those with normal moisture levels. This is due to high energy consumption as the HVAC system works harder to keep the air conditioned, and it can be caused by things like cooking or taking a shower.
Electrical Shock
When water vapor comes into contact with electrical equipment, it conducts electricity. It can also cause a short-circuit, which can blow fuses and lead to electrical fires. In a humid home, it’s easy for condensation to settle on electrical items like wires and outlets. When you touch these, you’ll receive a shock. Electric shock is a serious matter and should not be ignored. It can lead to brain damage, burns, seizures, loss of consciousness — even death.
Damaged Wires
The wiring in your house is important to the proper functioning of devices and appliances. Damaged wires can cause a variety of problems, from overheating to electrical shock. High humidity can affect your home’s wires by degrading the insulation and causing an increase in current flow. This can create a short circuit and could lead to electrical fires.
Categorised in: Humidity