Derek ColeGM, Simmons One Hour Heating & Air · AI HVAC Answers

NC AC Battles: Heat AND Humidity Explained #shorts

9 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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1:26

In this short video, HVAC specialist Derek Cole explains that air‑conditioning systems in southeastern North Carolina face a double challenge: they must combat both high outdoor temperatures and high humidity. He contrasts this with the dry heat typical of the western U.S., recounting a conversation with an Arizonan who found the humid heat in Orlando “brutal.” Cole notes that residential AC units are designed for a peak outdoor temperature of about 95 °F; when temperatures rise to 97 °F and homeowners try to cool indoor spaces down to 70 °F—a 27‑degree drop—the system is operating at or beyond its intended capacity. He advises viewers to give their systems a break under such extreme conditions.

Chapters

You're fighting two battles with your AC in Southeastern North Carolina. So you're battling the heat, but you're also battling the humidity. So the system has to work harder to get that moisture out of there to cool you down, to cool the temperature down, and dehumidify the space. You don't have those issues present out west.. It's a dry heat. Uh, I was with somebody in, uh, Orlando for a conference one time, and they're from Arizona, and they said, man, it's brutal out here. I'm like, you're from Arizona? They said, yeah, but it's a dry heat. It's so humid and sticky here. I said, well, that's true. So we're fighting two different battles. They're fighting the heat We are fighting the heat and the humidity. So give your system a break. If it's 97 outside and you're trying to get it to 70 inside, that's a 27-degree swing. It's working as hard as it can. It is only designed in this state to get to 95 degrees. That is the design temperature of your loads for the homes is 95 degrees. How often does it stay 95 degrees?