Difference Between Air Conditioner & Dehumidifier!

Dehumidifiers as the name suggests help in getting rid of humidity from air while on the other hand if you main aim is cooling then you need to select air conditioners. In case cooling in not the main criteria and moisture is causing most of the problems as well as discomfort then dehumidification system is what you need.

There is difference in terms of energy consumption also where dehumidification systems consume less energy in comparison to air conditioners. On an average the humidity controllers consume about 160 kWh/Month while air conditioners eat up around 300 kWh/Month.

In the next few sections let us look at some of the other differences in how they function and features both have.

How They Function?

Operational Differences

In humidity controllers or dehumidification systems the air goes through different cooling coils also known as evaporators and then straight away over another set of condensers or heating coils and then into your room in the form of much drier air.

On the other hand in case of air conditioners the air passes over evaporators or cooling coils and then gets inside the room. After that the air passes a tube located outside your house into condensers or heating coils before exiting.

Dealing with Other Aspects

1. Cool and Warm Air Movement: Air conditioners are designed in a way that they circulate cool air in the room. On the other hand dehumidifiers draw in moist air and expel dry air but release warm air inside the room whereas air conditioners tend to dump warm air outside.

2. Moisture: In air conditioners you will find that the condensed water pools in a pan and it gets drained outside with a drainage tube. In case of dehumidification devices they consist of a water reservoir having a hose attachment to be used for dedicated drainage.

Features of Dehumidification Systems & Air Conditioners

The task of such humidity controllers is to extract humidity from the room where they are installed so that it feels a lot more comfortable. But you should also keep in mind that the room will heat up slightly during this process.

As relative humidity (RH) levels go down, the moisture from your skin will easily evaporate and provide better cooling effect. Thus, overall you will benefit from use of dehumidification systems despite the slight increase in temperature within the room.

If we look at the features of air conditioners, we find that they are good at cooling the temperature in any room and since cool air can carry less amount of humidity, the overall humidity level in the room also goes down.

But in case the humidity levels are pretty high in the room then air conditioners will not be able to bring it down and you will have to look at dehumidification systems as an alternate option.