When the temperatures start to drop for winter, so will the relative humidity levels. The cold conditions make it harder for the air to retain moisture, resulting in drier conditions. This is when you can start to experience static electric shocks on a regular basis—touching a door knob becomes an anxious experience! But dry air does more than make your laundry stick together when it comes out of the clothes dryer. It can have a number of negative effects on your household, ranging from higher bills to higher chances of illness.
How do you combat this? Portable single-room humidifiers won’t do the right job, since they cannot be easily controlled and they only affect one room. That may be fine for an infant’s room, but for the rest of the house it’s wise to depend on a whole-house humidifier. Contact our HVAC experts and they’ll hook you up with a great humidifier to help you during the winter.
The Benefits of Humidifying a Home in Winter
The biggest advantage of properly balancing humidity in your home (between 30% and 50% relative humidity) is that it makes it easier to stay warm. Low amounts of moisture in the air allows for the heat from the body to escape easier. Higher moisture traps the heat, and a person feels warmer than they would otherwise. This takes off the chilly edge of the winter cold. And this also means you save energy, since you won’t have to keep the pressure on the furnace or heat pump to warm up the house when everybody already feels around 8°F warmer already!
Then there’s the health advantage. Dry air affects sinuses and mucus membranes, drying them up so that germs can spread easier. Proper humidity levels means a healthier home with people who have stronger immune systems.
And… yes, you won’t have all that annoying static electricity to deal with either. Sort of a bonus!
For information on whole-house humidification, call Air Creations, Inc. in Westfield, NJ. “We Do It Right!”
