Sensible cooling lowers the air temperature, while latent cooling removes moisture (humidity). Many modern high-efficiency air conditioners are excellent at sensible cooling but remove far less moisture than older units. This is why dedicated dehumidification has become so important in Houston.
Yes, there are several different ways to install them. We strongly believe that the way many of them are already installed is incorrect. We regularly change setups on previously installed systems where they are losing 20 to 30% of their dehumidification capacity by following antiquated system installation instructions. Some of the older installations actually reduce your air conditioner’s capacity to dehumidify the air.
Our Gulf Coast location creates very high outdoor humidity and temperatures. When combined with modern HVAC systems that don’t remove enough moisture, homes often feel clammy even when the thermostat reads the right temperature. Excess humidity also promotes mold growth and poor indoor air quality.
The short answer is yes, but there are several ways that it also offsets the majority of its cost. While different dehumidifier sizes and setups will require different amounts of energy use, a dehumidifier that ran full time could use an average of $50 a month in additional energy. A larger one could use even more. Fortunately, lowering the relative humidity in your home typically allows you to raise your thermostat to a temperature that helps offset that additional energy. Taking a house that typically stays at 68°F and 62% humidity down to 50% humidity can allow a homeowner to raise the thermostat as much as 3 or 4 degrees and feel the same level of comfort.
Maybe is the short answer. If you properly filter that air, then it brings in clean air. A very large majority of the dehumidifiers that are set up in this city have minimal filtration in advance of the dehumidifier. The truth is that there are very advanced and moderately priced filtration systems out there that can ensure the air coming in is cleaner — or as clean — as the air already in your home. These are very important and they should be utilized to filter the air moderately before it goes into the dehumidifier and then to filter it more significantly after it comes out. If you really want to, you can even HEPA filter the air and send it through carbon filters for chemicals. Like everything else in life these days, the products are changing yearly and you have to stay on top of them.
These are the professional engineering standards we use for every system we design or modify:
We perform all of this in-house and only for the projects we install. These design standards have become more important than ever on unit swap-outs because the new units simply don’t remove as much moisture. By calculating your actual needs, this information will tell us whether you’re going to need dehumidification in addition to your new unit and it can tell us whether your existing unit is oversized. Contractors often oversize units — typically with the best of intentions. Unfortunately, it doesn’t often pan out that way. These oversized units cause short cycling which further reduces the dehumidification within the home. An oversized unit coupled with the new reduced latent capacity can be a recipe for disaster as it relates to humidity removal. It can even cause or exacerbate mold within a home.
No, there are many different solutions that can remedy these problems. On the simpler side you can go to a 2-filter grill which doubles the amount of filter media. You can add a 4-inch or 5-inch media filter at the unit which increases the filter surface area by several times. You can buy special filters that have more pleats, thus increasing their surface area, that will also reduce this added stress. You can install special new types of filters that provide very tiny amounts of added pressure, similar to a regular filter, and get up to a MERV 16 by using these and not adding any additional pressure. You can also use systems that utilize their own fans that will constantly filter the air with carbon and HEPA filtration that add zero additional pressure to the unit. We can help you design any of these systems.
It could. Ventilation fans remove air from the house which can be a good thing as long as it’s controlled and you have makeup air helping replace the air that is going out. New codes require that you have makeup air on any fan that removes more than 400 CFM of air. We typically suggest installation of active makeup air systems. Passive makeup air systems can be used but you have to look closely at the circumstances. If you have a mold illness and you’re trying to specifically keep your house under positive or neutral pressure then I highly recommend having an active system. The higher the CFM the more critical this becomes because for every cubic foot of air that fan sends out of the house there’s a cubic foot of air being sucked through the house from a place that’s not designed to have air sucked from it. It places the house under serious negative pressure and can cause some significant contamination related to uncontrolled air infiltration.
Yes. We have extensive experience performing advanced HVAC remediation and restoration for patients with doctor-directed requirements for these conditions. All work is done in coordination with the patient’s physician to help create the cleanest possible indoor environment.
We use professional building science tools including blower door testing, duct blaster testing, moisture meters, and air sampling through our sister company Able Environmental. This allows us to locate and properly address hidden mold in ducts, coils, and plenums.
An Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) brings in fresh outdoor air while exhausting stale air. It recovers energy and controls humidity so you get better indoor air quality without wasting energy or introducing excess moisture. We have traditionally not been big fans of ERV systems but recent advances in the core technology, core size, and other design elements have increased the efficiency of these units. That said we don’t recommend them for all houses. We typically recommend them for very tight houses because they need this additional ventilation. When we do use them we generally specify the better ones. Some of the cheap ones still aren’t that great and you have to be very careful what you buy and how you install them. The biggest problem with the ERVs in our area has been mold developing in the cores and additional humidity being dumped into the home or AC system. Quite often, even with an ERV we suggest ventilating dehumidifiers to bring in fresh air and positive pressure while the ERV provides a constant flow of air in and out that will help dilute pollutants within the home. Some of these higher-end systems actually have their own return and supply ductwork that consist of very small ~3 inch tubes. These tubes can even take the place of your bathroom ventilation fans.
Yes. Many older AC companies still claim high-efficiency filters will “bog down” your system. We use modern low-pressure-drop filtration solutions (MERV 16, HEPA, and carbon filters) that capture far more particles and allergens while allowing your system to operate efficiently.
Yes. We offer flexible financing options through trusted partners, including competitive rates and 0% interest plans on select projects. We’ll work with you to find a payment plan that fits your budget.
Most residential installations take 1–3 days. Complex mold remediation and system redesign projects typically take 3–7 days or longer depending on the scope. We provide a clear timeline during your free evaluation.
We proudly serve the greater Houston area, including Cypress, Katy, Sugar Land, Pearland, The Woodlands, Memorial, Energy Corridor, and surrounding communities. We perform larger projects all over the state. If we’re doing remediation with one of our sister companies then our HVAC company will also join them to perform the work anywhere in the state of Texas. For typical jobs we stay within roughly a 75-mile radius of downtown Houston but we sometimes will travel slightly beyond that for special requests. We occasionally do jobs in Austin, College Station, and other areas.
We address the root causes — moisture, poor airflow, and inadequate dehumidification — through proper system redesign, humidity control, and ventilation. We don’t just clean; we engineer long-term prevention.
We combine 30+ years of local experience with in-house professional engineering, advanced building science testing, and direct support from our sister companies for mold remediation and IAQ. We focus on total comfort — temperature, humidity, and air quality — instead of just installing equipment.
We’re happy to answer them personally.