How You Can Deal With Dry Air in Your Home This Winter

With winter arriving, now’s the time to consider installing a whole-house humidifier to protect both your family and your home from the damaging effects of dry winter air. Consider what you risk from high humidity levels in your home.

Health risks
Warm air holds more moisture than dry air. And as the temperatures drop, the air is able to hold less water vapor. Even though we use heating systems to heat the home and combat colder outdoor air, the air still cannot hold enough moisture to combat dry skin, chapped lips, sinus problems and pesky coughs.

All of these symptoms can be largely avoided by keeping the relative humidity (RH) level in your home between 35 and 55 percent. Proper indoor humidity levels also help to create an inhospitable environment for bacteria that can cause illness. The two most common kinds responsible for strep throat and pneumonia, can’t survive when the RH is between 30 and 60 percent.

Other risks
Humans aren’t the only ones affected by poor humidity levels. Your home — and energy costs — can also suffer; here’s why:

Dry air causes wood furniture and floors, wallpaper and paint to expand and contract, resulting in damage. Maintaining healthy humidity levels help avoid warped wood and peeling paint, preserving your home and belongings.
Installing a whole-house humidifier to raise the humidity level in your home will make it feel more comfortable, allowing you to lower your thermostat. Because drier air makes humans feel cooler, homeowners may attempt to create more warmth by turning up the thermostat setting. However, with a humidifier restoring moisture to the air, homeowners may be able to turn down the thermostat, which will lower the amount of energy the heating system consumes.

T.F. O’Brien has been proudly serving Long Island for over 75 years. Let us help you choose the right whole-house humidifier for your home, and see what a difference it will make to you, your family, your home and your energy bills this winter.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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