Sometimes, it feels like you just can’t win. Regardless of the season in Martinsburg, West Virginia, humidity can become a problem in one way or another. During the summer, too much humidity can cause mold growth and other air quality issues. In the fall and winter, different problems can arise from humidity. Too little humidity in your home can lead to reduced indoor air quality and unwanted changes in temperature, both resulting in reduced comfort. Here’s how humidity affects comfort.
Temperature Perception
Regarding your home, a relative humidity level between 40 and 60 percent is ideal. Anything higher or lower than that and you start to have problems. For example, too little humidity during the winter can affect how you perceive the temperature in your home. A lack of humidity makes the air feel cooler than it actually is, which can lead to discomfort, and a reduction in energy efficiency when you push the heater to compensate. Without a healthy, regular level of humidity, you’ll often be left in uncomfortable, fluctuating temperatures.
Indoor Air Quality
No one can be comfortable when they have a stuffy nose, an itchy throat, or a full-blown illness. Unfortunately, low humidity not only causes dry skin, but it also makes it easier for the flu virus to survive. Low humidity also contributes to congestion and dry, itchy eyes. You may also experience an increase in dust if the air isn’t humid enough, since a healthy level of humidity actually keeps some dust out of the air.
The Solution
So what can you do to avoid this discomfort? The easiest solution is to install a whole-home humidifier, which works with your HVAC system to create and maintain a healthy level of humidity. These healthy levels will leave your home more comfortable and healthy than it was before.
You don’t have to endure a fall and winter of sniffling and discomfort. Contact Griffith Energy Services to speak with our HVAC technicians about maintaining the humidity in your home with a whole-home humidifier. Call us today at 888-474-3391.
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