Achieve Balanced Humidity During the Dry Winter and Year-Round

Balanced humidity in your home is important throughout the year, but it’s particularly challenging during the winter, when the air tends to be drier. Get a handle on humidity no matter what time of year and what the conditions. It will boost energy savings, comfort and health, and also make your HVAC system operate more efficiently.

Balanced Humidity

Dry indoor air is especially concerning during the winter season because as dry cooler air is heated in the home, the volume of air increases while the volume of moisture stays the same. Humidifying the living spaces is the practical solution to a host of issues created by dry air, and the most practical means of humidifying your entire home evenly and comfortably is with a whole-house humidifier.

A whole-house humidifier is attached to the ductwork system by your HVAC technician. Operation is fully automatic, with water supply and drainage hooked to the home’s plumbing system, and you control humidity levels with the humidistat (much like a thermostat controls heating temps). These are just a few of the benefits of maintaining balanced humidity through the winter months:

• Comfort – Dry and chapped skin are much less prevalent in properly humidified conditions (ideally 30 to 50 percent in greater Portland). Balanced humidity also helps protects throat, nasal and respiratory membranes.
• Health – Occupants are more susceptible to illness when the throat and nasal passages are dry and sore. Whole-house humidification helps alleviate or prevent these health and comfort issues, which is too bad for the flu virus and others that spread more readily in dry air.
• Energy bills – Humidified air feels warmer than dry air, giving you the opportunity to turn down the thermostat a few degrees and actually feel more comfortable with optimal humidity.
• Prevent damage – Wood structure, furnishings and personal possessions can be damaged by dry indoor air, as moisture is extracted from these porous objects.

If you would like to learn more about how balanced humidity provides a more healthful, comfortable and desirable living environment in your Portland area home, please contact us at Roth Heating & Cooling.