During the summer, you don’t want too much humidity. As you’ve probably discovered, too much of it makes you feel really uncomfortable–hotter than the temperature reading on your thermostat it seems like, right? This is because moisture helps you retain heat. Moisture also encourages the growth of mold and mildew in the home, leading to potential property damage.
In the winter, however, it’s possible to have too little humidity. Dry air causes just as many problems as air with too much moisture in it, unfortunately. It leads to static shock, lowered immunity, and cracked wood in homes as everything dries out. There must be a happy medium though, right?
Of course there is! The ideal relative humidity level in any given home is between 30%- 50%… anything lower than that 30% is considered too dry. Fortunately, there is something you can do about it–have a whole-house humidifier professionally installed. Read on to learn more about the benefits of doing this!
Combatting Dry Air
When moisture levels in the air are too low, it allows for heat to escape faster from the human body. When this is combined with the chilly temperatures we have during the winter, it can make you feel pretty uncomfortable! But feeling uncomfortable is just the start of the problems with dry air.
Moisture loss has a larger impact on our bodies than you might realize, leading to problems like dry and cracking skin, chapped lips, eye and nose irritation, etc. It dries up your sinuses and mucus membranes, making it easier for you to catch viruses and illnesses since this lowers your immunity by making it harder for you to fight off germs. This is why cold and flu season is this time of the year!
This decline in moisture also has a negative impact on home furnishings, particularly wood furniture, precision instruments, and wallpaper, which can all start cracking if humidity levels get too low.
The Benefits of Whole-House Humidification
Most of the above-mentioned issues can be resolved with the professional installation of a whole-house humidifier. We do recommend a whole-house system as opposed to a portable humidifier, since you’ll get widespread coverage this way. Plus, a whole-house humidifier affords you these benefits:
- Energy Savings: When you need to run your heating system as much as we do here, it can get expensive! But the thing is, when you use a humidifier in the winter, it helps you feel warmer, and when you feel warmer you can adjust the temperature on your thermostat so that your heater doesn’t come on quite as often nor does it run quite as long. Therefore, your furnace drains less power, and costs less to run!
- Improved Health: Without dried up sinuses, members of your household won’t be as prone to illnesses like the cold, flu, and other viruses.
- Protect Your Property: When your humidity levels are properly balanced, it protects the wood and paint throughout your living space from cracking and chipping, plus it protects wood furnishings, including wood precision instruments.
For professional humidifier installation and to learn about our other indoor air quality products and services, contact Boehmer Heating & Cooling.