The weather in Hong Kong is very humid in spring. As people don’t want to put another big home appliance at home to occupy living space, they tend to use the air conditioner dehumidification mode instead of the dehumidifier. What is the principle of air conditioning’s dehumidification function? Is it effective in dehumidification? What is the difference between the electricity used by the two appliances in dehumidification? Let us tell you the difference.
The principle of compressed air conditioner and dehumidifier are similar
The principle of compressed air conditioner and dehumidifier are similar. Both appliances dehumidify by cooling indoor air and condensing moisture. When the refrigerant in the evaporator evaporates, it absorbs a lot of heat, which lowers its surface temperature. When the indoor air encounters, it will condense and form water droplets, thereby reducing the humidity in the air.
The difference between the air conditioner and the dehumidifier is that the air conditioner discharges the hot air to the outside to lower the indoor temperature. For dehumidifier, the heat is discharged back into the room again, so the indoor temperature will be slightly higher.
The efficiency of air conditioning dehumidification is changed in different environment
Air conditioning does have a certain degree of dehumidification effect, but there are limitations due to humidity control. Dehumidification by air conditioner must be achieved by lowering the temperature. And the temperature difference needs to be large enough. Therefore, different indoor and outdoor air temperature and humidity will lead to different dehumidification effect.
- Summer: When the outdoor temperature is above 32 degrees and the indoor temperature is 30 degrees. Turn on the air conditioner and set as 26 degrees. This is a comfortable indoor temperature and the cool air can quickly cool down the indoor environment and dehumidify.
- Winter: The indoor and outdoor temperatures are similar, about 18 degrees. If you want to use the air conditioner to achieve the dehumidification effect, you need to lower the temperature by 2-3 degrees. However, the indoor temperature should not be lower than 20 degrees, otherwise it will make us uncomfortable.
- Spring: The indoor and outdoor temperatures are similar, about 22 degrees, but the humidity is extremely high, usually up to 70-80%. Air conditioners cannot maintain proper temperatures to dehumidify.
Therefore, using air conditioner for dehumidification purpose needs to match the temperature to achieve good performance. Moreover, the dehumidification capacity of the air conditioner is relatively small, and the dehumidification speed is slow. The dehumidification capacity is not obvious in spring when the humidity is high, but the temperature is low.
In addition, the use of air conditioner will lower the temperature of household objects. When you turn off the air conditioner and open the window, the water vapor will condense on the surface, causing a more humid feeling.
Dehumidification with air conditioner consumes a lot of power
Although many air conditioners claim that in “dehumidification mode”, the power consumption will be a little lower due to the low speed of the fan and the slow speed of the transformer, but in fact the energy consumption is still higher than the dehumidifier. The dehumidification capacity of the air conditioner is only about 20% of the dehumidifier, but the power consumption is higher the dehumidifier several times.
If you want to keep the dehumidification effect, the air conditioner must be cooled. In the long run, the power consumption is very large, which is not cost-effective method.
In addition, since the air conditioner needs to keep operating for a long time to dehumidify, this will increase the compressor load and affect the life span of the air conditioner.
Summary
Air conditioner dehumidification mode only works in certain situations. If you live in a humid area, especially in the spring when the temperature is not high, but the humidity is extremely high, dehumidifier will be the first choice for you.
Energy saving dehumidification methods in general place
- Run the air conditioner for 10-20 minutes, turn off the air conditioner.
- Turn on the dehumidifier to maintain stable humidity.
Energy saving dehumidification methods in wet place (such as bathroom)
- In addition to using the thermo ventilator, you can dry the floor and wall first.
- Use fan, which is fast and cost-effective method.
For more information moisture proof, please visit the HKDecoman blog:
The content and pictures of this article are provided and uploaded by the author. It does not represent the opinion of the company. If there are any copyright issues, please contact us.
