When the heat becomes unbearable and a heat wave takes hold, the air conditioner becomes one of the most important allies in the fight for refreshment.
However, many users make the same mistake every day, they lower the temperature to the minimum, expecting that the room will cool down faster.
Experts warn that there is a much more efficient way to achieve a comfortable temperature in the home, while at the same time reducing electricity consumption. The solution is hidden in a function that most people rarely use, although it is found on almost every air conditioner remote control.
On most devices, there is an option labeled “Dry” or a water drop symbol.
Unlike the classic cooling mode, this function is not intended primarily to lower the temperature, but to remove excess moisture from the air. This is precisely why the space can seem more pleasant even when the thermometer shows a slightly higher temperature than you would expect.
When the air is less humid, the body regulates body temperature more easily, so the feeling of humidity that many describe as “heavy air” disappears.
The feeling of heat does not depend only on the temperature. Air humidity also has a big influence. When it is high, sweat from the skin evaporates more slowly, which makes it harder for the body to release excess heat. Because of this, the room can feel suffocating even if the air conditioner is running for hours.
On the other hand, when excess moisture is removed, the air becomes more pleasant, and the same temperature seems much fresher. In standard cooling mode, the air conditioner compressor runs almost continuously to maintain the set temperature.
It is also the part of the device that consumes the most electricity. The “Dry” mode works differently. Since its main task is to dehumidify the air, the compressor works under a lower load and takes breaks more often, so the electricity consumption is in many cases lower than when the “Cool” option is turned on.
How much savings will be depends on the model of the air conditioner, the outside temperature and the humidity level in the room. This mode is especially useful during hot summer days, when the air contains a lot of moisture.
In many cases, it is enough to turn it on about an hour before you will be staying in the room for a long time. You can already notice that the air is easier to breathe, even though the temperature has not changed significantly.
Many users use this option to sleep. Since the air conditioner then does not cool the room as aggressively as in “Cool” mode, you are less likely to wake up during the night because you have become too cold. At the same time, a pleasant level of humidity is maintained, which contributes to the feeling of freshness.
Many try to beat the heat by lowering the air conditioner temperature to 18 or 20 degrees. When excess moisture is removed from the air, the body naturally cools down more easily, so even a temperature of around 25 degrees can be quite pleasant.
Therefore, the “Dry” function can be an easy way to improve the feeling of freshness in the home during the summer, while relieving the air conditioner and potentially reducing electricity consumption.
Just for Oslobodjenje.ba, meteorologist Nedim Sladić explained the dew point phenomenon and its effect on body cooling. He announced that the dew point temperature will be quite high in the coming period. This is precisely the indicator of how much moisture our air can withstand during cooling, and this is also very important for the human body, i.e. how much our body can fight cooling at a temperature.
– A lower dew point temperature means that we have an easier cooling of the body, that is, the body suffers less stress from the heat. When we talk about the dew point above 15 degrees Celsius, on some days it will go up to 20 degrees. These are quite high dew point values. Therefore, the moisture content in the air is higher. This has an adverse effect on the health of the population, especially the more sensitive ones, warns Sladić, and adds that in such circumstances it should be taken into account that the heat will not be pleasant at all.
