People complain about humidity in the summer months, but many don't know that it can also be a problem in the winter. However, in the winter, the issue lies with having too little moisture in the air instead of too much.
Who Needs Humidity Anyway?
Even though it may not feel like it during the summer, moisture in the air does serve a useful purpose. It helps prevent:
Cold and allergy symptoms feeling worse as dry air can irritate your throat and mucous membranes.
Leather clothes, shoes, or furniture drying and cracking.
Skin, especially the sensitive skin on your lips, getting dry and chapped.
Wood furniture and floors drying out, leading to cracks and other structural problems.
Can Humidity Save Money?
Perhaps one of the best reasons to control the moisture in your home is your energy bill. The higher you set your thermostat in the winter, the more energy you pay for. Obviously, you'd like to keep your home temperature reasonably low for cost reasons. You may find that you're sacrificing your family's comfort when you lower the thermostat, though.The solution may just be to raise the humidity in your home. If your air is dry, it will wick away the moisture on your skin more quickly. This has the same effect as a cool breeze when you are sweating on a hot day - it leaves you feeling cooler.Keeping your home's relative humidity at 45-55% in the winter means that the air has enough moisture not to dry out your skin. In turn, this leaves you feeling warmer. You can lower your thermostat a few degrees without noticing a drop in comfort.
How Do You Maintain Consistent Humidity?
Even though plug-in humidifiers will add humidity to your home, they are unable to adjust the amount of moisture they put out to keep the moisture in your air at a consistent level. A whole-home humidifier works through your HVAC system to deliver the right levels of moisture and adapt to changing air conditions.
For more information about controlling humidity in your Broken Arrow home, contact Air Assurance today.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat and humidity balance and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “clker-free-vector-images/Pixabay”