Heat and Humidity: Find the Balance in Your Home

You’re certainly familiar with the discomforts of outdoor heat and moisture during the cooling months. During the winter season, however, your home’s heating system can actually make the air inside your home too dry for comfort, and cause a host of other problems. If balancing heat and humidity in your home is a juggling act, read on to learn how best to manage indoor moisture and the benefits you will enjoy.

Heating System and Moisture

The amount of moisture in your home’s air has a tremendous impact on your comfort and health. When your heating system is running, indoor air often feels too dry and cooler than it should. That’s because as indoor air is heated, it expands in volume, but the moisture content remains the same. The result is that your skin, nose and throat may feel dry and itchy.

Dry indoor air also causes perspiration on your skin to evaporate at a faster rate. This further dries out your skin and makes you feel cooler.

How to Balance Heat/Humidity

Ventilating your home can help increase indoor moisture levels, but only if the weather outside isn’t too cool for your comfort. That’s when humidifiers can help find the comfort zone.

Portable humidifiers work well for single rooms, such as your bedroom to help you sleep better. Though, the rest of your home will still be too dry. Portable humidifiers also need daily care, such as emptying the water and cleaning.

The most effective solution to balance heat and humidity is with a whole-home humidifier. These units utilize your ductwork system to balance indoor moisture all over your home. They may operate in conjunction with your heating system or operate independently. Water is drained through your home’s plumbing, so there’s minimal maintenance to worry about. Also, humidity levels are maintained at optimal levels automatically using a humidistat.

If you are experiencing difficulty balancing heat and humidity in your home, please contact the professionals at NisAir Air Conditioning and Heating today. We’ve helped residents of Martin County, Palm Beach, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties with home comfort solutions since 1973!