Dehumidifying your home can help you maintain healthy indoor air quality and makes more sense when your dehumidifier serves the entire house, not just selected rooms. Humidity refers to the water vapor in the air; it’s difficult to quarantine in enclosed spaces and migrates anywhere air can travel. Therefore, trying to dehumidify individual rooms, while leaving the air in the rest of the house unconditioned, is often ineffective and inefficient.

Whole-house dehumidifiers can be integrated into the air ducts of your heating and cooling system, removing moisture from all areas of the home served by your comfort system. Individual room units are not required, saving space and simplifying daily use. Whole-house units operate automatically, sensing the humidity present in your home and functioning accordingly to remove appropriate amounts of moisture from the air.

Unlike individual units, a whole-house dehumidifier is plumbed into your home’s drainage pipes, so you don’t have to bother with emptying collected water, either. And a single whole-house dehumidifier can be significantly more energy efficient than a collection of individual units in various rooms throughout the home.

Dry, clean indoor air provides more than just a comfort zone for you and your family.  It’s also healthier. Excessively humid air and the damp interior environment it promotes can create a breeding ground for microorganisms that contribute to health problems for many people. Dust mites, a prime contributor to asthma in children, thrive in conditions with relative humidity above 50 percent. Mold also finds a hospitable environment in the invisible condensation on interior surfaces that’s typically present in houses with high relative humidity. Household mold has been identified as a contributor to allergies and other health problems as well as damaging to household belongings.

Excessive indoor humidity also can contribute to negative lifestyle changes. Sleep in high humidity may be fitful and less restful. In addition, homeowners who attempt to reduce humidity levels without a whole-house dehumidifier may set their thermostat too low, resulting in an uncomfortably cool home.

For guidance in dehumidifying your whole house, talk to the experts at All Year Heating, Air & Solar. We’ve been helping create healthy environments in Greater Sacramento homes since 1969.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about dehumidifiers and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Humidity meter image via Shutterstock