Dry indoor conditions are normal the northeast Ohio heating season. Your furnace keeps your home warm enough but it can’t add moisture to the air. The solution to bone-dry conditions is a whole-house humidifier. Here are the benefits of having one installed in your home this winter:
- Better health: Winter is flu and cold season, largely because bacteria and viruses thrive in dry conditions. With a whole-house humidifier keeping your home between 30 and 50 percent relative humidity, these contagions die off faster so you can get over your cold quicker.
- Improved comfort: Dry skin, chapped lips, sore throats and nose bleeds are all health byproducts of dry winter air. You can feel more comfortable with a whole-house humidifier working to maintain the optimal relative humidity.
- Lower heating bills: Moist air naturally feels warmer than dry air because less water evaporates from the surface of your skin when the air is already saturated. That means you can set the thermostat to 68 degrees and still feel comfortable with the whole-house humidifier running as well. And since humidifiers require very little power to operate, they result in lower heating bills without sacrificing comfort.
- Protection for wood and electronics: Wood is affected by moisture the same way your skin is. When the air becomes too dry, wood may shrink and crack. This is bad for expensive hardwood floors, lovely cabinetry and antique musical instruments. Electronics can also suffer from dry air. You know what it’s like to shuffle your feet and get shocked by touching a light switch, a door knob or even another person. Sensitive electronic equipment can be damaged if you send the 20,000-volt charge in your body coursing through the hardware. Higher relative humidity keeps static shock under control.
On top of all these benefits of whole-house humidifiers, they are more convenient and accurate than portable models that require frequent cleaning and don’t have a gauge to achieve the ideal relative humidity.
For more information about whole-house humidifiers, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning today. We serve Lorain, Erie and Cuyahoga counties.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about humidifiers and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area