Reduce electric bill with AC when adding dehumidifier.

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Brasspen

Brasspen

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Sep 14, 2024
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According to HVAC articles by HVAC companies, adding a dehumidifier in your home can reduce the energy cost. It reduces work load on the AC because it acts like a dehumidifier.

I picked up a 1000 sq ft silicone chip model, which should cover this small 800 sq ft house. I will be looking to see if the room gets colder.
 
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Brasspen said:
According to HVAC articles by HVAC companies, adding a dehumidifier in your home can reduce the energy cost. It reduces work load on the AC because it acts like a dehumidifier.

I picked up a 1000 sq ft silicone chip model, which should cover this small 800 sq ft house. I will be looking to see if the room gets colder.
Click to expand...
All I know is, my mother runs a humidifier in the winter and doesn't have to turn the heat up nearly as high. The windows sure do get wet though...

So a dehumidifier in summer sounds about right.
 
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Brasspen said:
According to HVAC articles by HVAC companies, adding a dehumidifier in your home can reduce the energy cost. It reduces work load on the AC because it acts like a dehumidifier.

I picked up a 1000 sq ft silicone chip model, which should cover this small 800 sq ft house. I will be looking to see if the room gets colder.
Click to expand...
Adding a dehumidifier in Colorado would turn the home into the Sahara desert...
 
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Brasspen said:
According to HVAC articles by HVAC companies, adding a dehumidifier in your home can reduce the energy cost. It reduces work load on the AC because it acts like a dehumidifier.

I picked up a 1000 sq ft silicone chip model, which should cover this small 800 sq ft house. I will be looking to see if the room gets colder.
Click to expand...
Try to figure that out with a comparison of your bill. There are perhaps YouTube videos on how to compare by amps drawn, but I use my bill. I use a dehumidifier to try to keep mold/mildew at bay while DIY abatement. It's an old reliable model before the more energy efficient models. They use a lot of power too, but let us know how it works.

I run it on high humidity days and open windows on dry days for ventilation. It's too hot in Florida to open windows much, but the air conditioners are by their design, pretty good dehumidifiers.
 
Brasspen said:
I live here in the swamps of Florida. So we have lots of water here.
If the humidity is already lower than it would not be working I guess.
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I lived 20 years in a suburb of Orlando and 6 years in Clearwater. Extremely humid in Orlando, somewhat less humidity in Clearwater.
 
The first purpose of air conditioning is not to cool the air, it is to remove the humidity.
 
It's working much better than expected. I am able to cool both my 150sqft room, and the 400 sqft living room with a 250 sqft window unit. Right now the temperature is 83 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I will look for temperature gauge and test the living space temperature, but should be about 70 degrees.

I am planning on installing a 150 sqft window unit into the living room. Keeping in mind the living room is a 400 sqft floor.

shittim said:
The first purpose of air conditioning is not to cool the air, it is to remove the humidity.
Click to expand...

Which is why the humidifier wins. The humidifier was designed for removing the water, so it's more efficient for this job. Now the water is gone, the AC can cool the air faster. The AC don't need run as long. And it also puts less load on the AC unit. This is according to the HVAC articles.
 
I was able to find candy thermometer. Using it the temperature reading is 83 degrees. But if feels cooler than outside. I look on weather station, they said it's 83 degrees, but feels like 90 degrees.

Also, I wanted to note that the fan feels better. And the air feels softer.
 
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Removing the humidity allows your perspiration to vaporize more quickly, giving us a cooler environment. Keep the air moving to, that adds to the action.
this place has some cool stuff, I have used a headband with tiny beads in it that are to be soaked full of water, and as it evaporates it cools the wearer.
Have seen a cooler that changes state to solid at 58 degrees F, sit it in a frig and it "recharges" to solid and when worn takes on heat cooling the wearer.
https://www.mycoolingstore.com/black-ice-cooling-products.html#
 
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I now find out my AC unit has quit working. It's at it's end after 13 years service. I think it's low on freon. It's a window unit so nothing to do.
 
Brasspen said:
I now find out my AC unit has quit working. It's at it's end after 13 years service. I think it's low on freon. It's a window unit so nothing to do.
Click to expand...
It's usually the capacitor., most stuff sitting on the curb is easily repaired.
80%of refrigeration problems are electrical, not the refrigerant system.
Capacitor, overload relay, start relay, etc.
blessings
 
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Brasspen said:
I now find out my AC unit has quit working. It's at it's end after 13 years service. I think it's low on freon. It's a window unit so nothing to do.
Click to expand...
Attended a Copeland compressor school, they have compressors they have run for decades, take them down on schedule and measure all tolerance's, put them back and run them.
My current AC system has been running since the 70's.
A GOOD install is required!
If you don't pull a vacuum to 30 inches minimum, you don't even begin to evacuate the moisture from a system.
Happy to help, friend.
blessings
 
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shittim said:
Ever clean the condenser?:unsure:(y):)
Click to expand...

I agree, Nobody's mentioned discharging the Cap though, how to do that ect. which can be deadly. I would spin the Capacitor discharge procedure just for safety's sake, MFD +/- and the voltage rating for those not familiar with what you suggest. Older AC's they might not find the exact Cap for so they need to know which one to replace it with for older units.
 
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variable mfd capacitors are available, you can go up 10% in rating but not down.
 
Adding capacitance to the entire circuit that the AC draws from will do more than anything to drop your bill.

Most AC units have 3 motors in them.....motors have coils. Coils cause inductive resistance....capacitive resistance cancels out inductive resistance.

However a 240v capacitor with sufficient amount of farauds is not cheap. Getting it wired in successfully also is not cheap. Because you need it to only engage when the unit goes on....otherwise it is just sucking energy.

Its not for everyone....and its definitely not a DIY project. You need a oscilloscope to see what size of capacitor you need....understanding what the oscilloscope says is very important.

So.....
Basically, if you spend a couple thousand dollars you can drop your power bill by $20-30 each month.
 
Power Factor, adding capacitance to an inductive load helps correct the power factor.
Adding 10% to your start/run capacitor is safe and helpful.
best wishes
 
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