How Humidity (Not Just Heat) Affects Your Home Comfort in Tallahassee

Anyone who has experienced summer in Tallahassee knows that it's more than just heat making things uncomfortable. The average humidity here can reach nearly 80% during the summer months. That's considerably higher than most folks are comfortable with. Ideally, your home's humidity should stay between 30 and 50% if you want to avoid mold growth (and who doesn't).

If your home's been feeling unusually sticky this summer, even after cranking the AC down a few more degrees, the temperature may not be the issue. Extra moisture in the air can make it feel warmer and less comfortable overall. No amount of cooling will fix it if your HVAC system isn't managing humidity effectively. 

Why Does Humidity Make It Feel Hotter Than It Is?

That's a very good question, and I'm glad you asked. Your body cools itself by sweating. The moisture on your skin evaporates, and that is what helps you cool down. High humidity slows the evaporation of moisture from your skin. That's why 78° and 70% humidity feels considerably warmer than 70° at 40%. 

Late summer in Tallahassee and the rest of North Florida is when the gap between temperature and 'feels like' comfort tends to be at its widest. Months of heat and rain have pushed indoor humidity levels up, even in homes with well-functioning AC systems. 

Signs High Humidity Is Affecting Your Home Comfort

If you suspect that higher than usual humidity is affecting your home comfort, here are some signs that you're probably right:

• The air in your home feels clammy or sticky even when the thermostat is set to a comfortable temperature
• Fogging or condensation on your windows
• A musty smell lingering in closets, bathrooms, and basements
• Wood floors and furniture feeling slightly damp or sticky to the touch
• Your AC runs constantly, but the space never feels quite cool enough.

Why Air Conditioning Alone Doesn’t Always Control Humidity

A standard air conditioner removes a fair amount of moisture as a byproduct of cooling. But it's not designed to do this as its primary function. In a climate like ours, where outdoor humidity rivals the surface of Venus, that's often not enough to bring the indoor humidity to a comfortable level. 

If your HVAC is oversized for your home, this is especially true. A system that is too large cools the air quickly and shuts off before it's had enough runtime to pull meaningful moisture from the air. That leaves you with a space that's cold but still humid, perfect for mold proliferation. 

How to Reduce Humidity in Your Home

Fortunately, there are solutions to this humidity issue that will keep your home feeling considerably more comfortable.

Whole-home dehumidifiers work alongside your HVAC to pull excess moisture from the air. This means you can keep your thermostat at a more reasonable temperature while still feeling comfortable. It will also help keep your utility bill at a more comfortable level. 

Heat and energy recovery ventilators (HRVs/ERVs) bring in fresh outdoor air and manage the exchange of moisture and temperature. This is especially useful in tightly sealed modern homes, where indoor air quality and moisture can build up without enough natural air exchange. 

Properly sized AC equipment matters more than you might think. Bigger isn’t always better. A correctly sized system runs longer, gentler cycles that remove moisture over time. A system that is too large produces short blasts of cold air that leave moisture behind.

Regular maintenance is vital to keeping your system's dehumidification performance from declining. Dirty coils, low refrigerant, and clogged condensate drains reduce your AC's effectiveness and its ability to handle moisture. 

Get a Home Comfort Assessment from Parker Services

If your home still feels uncomfortable no matter how you set the thermostat, the fix probably isn’t more cooling. Better humidity control is the most likely solution to bring your home back to a place of cool comfort. Parker Services can come to your home and assess whether a dehumidifier, ventilation upgrade, or properly sized system is the right next step.