What Level of Humidity Should Exist in Your Home?

Improper indoor humidity levels not only downgrade your comfort but also increase your chances of contracting diseases. Therefore, it's important to maintain the normal humidity level in a home.

What Level of Humidity Is Ideal for Your Home?

Generally, the ideal home humidity level for comfort and health should be between 30% and 50%. When your home's humidity level exceeds 50%, you'll feel uncomfortable. What's more, the increased moisture could lead to:

• Mold growth

• Condensation on toilet tanks and windows

• The decay of flooring, structural materials, and other surfaces in your home

A percentage below 30% is dry and can lead to:

• Sinus issues

• Dry skin

• Static electricity

At 5% or less, the air is excessively dry. It can cause:

• The peeling away of wallpaper

• Cracking or warping of building materials and wood furniture

The weather and seasons heavily influence the ideal amount of home humidity. Air can hold more moisture at high temperatures than at low temperatures. In the summer, a humidity range between 30% and 45% is ideal. During the winter, it's best to have your indoor humidity below 40%. Higher humidity levels in the winter can lead to condensation issues.

How Do You Maintain a Normal Humidity Level in a Home?

The best way to maintain a normal humidity level in a home throughout the year is by using a whole-home humidifierand dehumidifier. The systems work automatically with your HVAC system.

Use a humidifier in the winter when indoor humidity tends to linger around 15%. In the summer months, utilize a dehumidifier, as air naturally holds more water.

The normal humidity level in a home will have a significant effect on your health and comfort, as well as your energy bills, by decreasing your usage of your HVAC system. To learn more about the normal humidity level in a home, contact Air Assurance. Residents in the Broken Arrow area know they can count on us to help control indoor humidity and keep their heating and cooling systems running correctly.

Two-Stage Cooling: How Another Speed Makes a Difference in Efficiency

Summer is here in full force in Broken Arrow, and with the temperatures on the rise and staying there, it may be time to look into replacing the old air conditioner. When looking at the new models, it's a great idea to check for a unit that has two-stage cooling options, since it controls comfort and humidity very well. What Is Two-Stage Cooling?The term two-stage cooling comes from adjustable settings on the compressor in the unit. The compressor is what generates the cool air in an A/C. Most compressors only have one setting-- on and running at full speed, or off.  In a two-stage system you have at least two settings on the compressor, often a low and high setting. In the high setting the A/C functions much like any other A/C, running the compressor at full capacity. But you also have the option to run the A/C at the low setting when less cooling is needed, saving energy and providing a low, comfortable output of cold air.What Are the Benefits?In most cases, the two-stage system can keep your home cool at the low setting for the majority of the time. This saves energy since it is using a fraction of the energy required to run at full-blast.The longer running times also allow it to draw more excess humidity out of your home, providing for even greater comfort. An A/C compressor automatically pulls moisture out of the air as it operates. Humidity makes your home feel warmer, even if the thermostat is at the right temperature. Since the two-stage system runs on low for long periods, you get the humidity fighting benefits all day instead of in the short bursts typical with standard A/C compressors.You also don't get the hot and cold extremes that can be common with a regular A/C that turns on and off all the time.For more information on two-stage cooling and how you can use it to increase your comfort and energy savings this summer, please contact Air Assurance Heating, Air Conditioning, and Plumbing, serving Broken Arrow and Tulsa.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).

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