Now that old man winter is here, have you experienced any of the following? Itchy eyes or skin? Dry irritated throat, nose, or sinuses? Nasal congestion or nosebleeds? If so, the answer to the title’s question should be yes. These discomforts are all caused by excessively dry air in the home. Low humidity can also exacerbate breathing difficulties for those living with serious conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, as well as causing sinusitis and waking up allergies. These are but the tip of the iceberg of the bounty of benefits you can reap when you add a humidifier to your HVAC system.
Health Benefits
Humidifiers help curtail the spread of airborne viruses. Maintaining indoor humidity levels at 43% has been found to render 85% of airborne viruses ineffective. This is because the moisture humidifiers add to the air impedes the movement of germs, making the airborne particles too heavy to float. When this happens they drop and lose their mojo.
Cost-Savings
Humidifiers can lower your heating bill. No doubt you’ve experienced how high humidity makes temperatures feel warmer in the summer. A humidifier can have the same effect on the wintertime air in your house. This is because the added moisture in the air makes sweat evaporate more slowly so you feel warmer and don’t have to set the thermostat quite so high.
Comfort Enhancements
Humidifiers fight static in winter more static electricity builds up in our heated homes because dry air serves as an insulator, making it hard for electrons to pass through. As a result, they collect in one place so that when we pass through we feel shocks when we touch metal objects, our pets, or even each other. This same static charge makes our hair frizzy, dry laundry clingy, and it can even damage electronics if the charge reaches high enough. Adding moisture to the air dampens the insulating effect and frees up the electrons so they can pass through. No more shocks!
Wood Preservation
Humidifiers can make our furniture last longer. When a tree falls in the forest, the lack of moisture causes its wood to split and crack. Likewise, wooden furniture and floors can suffer damage after years of winters in dry heated homes. Shrinking fibers are what causes hardwood floors to creak in the winter. This same shrinkage can loosen furniture joints and threaten their integrity. By restoring moisture to the air, a humidifier quenches wood’s thirst and allows it to resume its optimum moisture level
Winter Dehumidifiers in Charlotte, NC
These are but a few of the benefits your winter home will reap when you add a humidifier to your air comfort solution. To find out more, contact our HVAC experts at Acosta Heating and Cooling. We’ve been serving North Carolinians in the greater Charlotte area for over 50 years, selling, installing, and servicing furnaces, air condition systems, thermostats, heat pumps, ductless mini split systems, and humidifiers.