Why Does My Home Feel So Dry In The Winter?

Posted: October 12, 2020

When the cold weather arrives and your heating system starts pushing out a lot of hot air, it will sap most of the moisture out of your home’s indoor air.

When your home becomes too dry, you’ll start experiencing a variety of problems. These can range from dry, irritated skin and increased allergic responses. Dry indoor air, if left unchecked, can also result in physical damage to your home furniture, and other belongings.

The good news is you can resolve the problem of dry indoor air with a simple solution that ensures healthy moisture levels throughout your home: install a whole-house humidifier.

Wired to your furnace and air conditioning unit, as well as your plumbing, a central humidifier adds water vapor to your home’s air through your ducts. You can then control humidity levels using your thermostat, just like the temperature.

To ensure optimum performance, you should also speak to us about scheduling a FREE duct leakage inspection. If we find problems, we can use our Aeroseal process to seal the leaks in your duct system. (Leaky ducts will prevent humidified air from reaching intended areas.)

The Benefits Of Optimum Home Humidity

The optimum indoor humidity level is considered to be 55%. With this level of humidity, you can experience:

better health – Humidifiers reduce the incidence of colds, flu, and other respiratory ailments by controlling viruses that tend to thrive in dry air.
greater comfort – Air that’s too dry can make asthma and allergy symptoms worse and lead to dry noses, sore throats, and cracked, itchy skin. With properly humidified air, you’ll experience fewer of these problems.
less damage to your home – Dry air can wreak havoc on wood floors, plaster, paint, furniture, artwork, electronics and musical instruments. By keeping the right amount of water vapor in the air, you avoid that kind of damage.
Lower energy bills – Properly humidified air feels warmer than dry air, which means a whole house humidifier will help you feel warmer at lower temperatures. According the EPA, you can save 3-4% on your heating expenses for every degree you lower your thermostat.

The bottom line

Humidity control systems are designed to increase your home comfort and decrease your risk of humidity related health issues. If you are concerned about managing home humidity levels in your home, please contact us.

As your local heating, cooling and indoor air quality experts, we can ensure that your home stays healthy and comfortable throughout the year. Contact the indoor air experts at Wilson Oil and Propane today to learn more and get a FREE estimate.