Dry Air Takes Its Toll

It’s getting colder at night and the furnace is back on as we slowly slip towards the colder months of fall and winter. While the furnace serves to keep us pleasantly toasty and comfortable, heating our homes can also greatly dry out the air inside. Humidity levels in heated homes often dip into the single digits—as dry as the world’s driest deserts. And this parched air takes its toll on our home, our energy bills, and our health.

Low Humidity and Your Home

Warm, dry air is like a sponge, pulling water from wherever it can find. From the glue and moist wood from furniture, woodwork, doors, and paint, for example. Cracks can develop in the walls and ceilings, and instruments such as pianos and guitars often warp. Caulk can also dry and crack around doors and windows, allowing more cold air in, increasing energy costs, and exacerbating the lower humidity issue already present. Electronics are not immune, either, as dry air makes static charges much more prevalent, which is potentially damaging to electronics.

Low Humidity and Your Energy Bill

Along with drying out sealants and letting drafts in to raise energy consumption, a lower humidity environment needs a higher temperature to achieve comfort. A whole-house humidifier allows you to set the thermostat 2-3 degrees lower than normal, without noticing any real difference. Higher humidity masks the lower temperature, making it feel more comfortable while allowing a noticeable savings in energy bills.

Low Humidity and Your Health

Most importantly, a low humidity environment has negative health repercussions. Dry and cracked skin, asthma problems, increased allergies, and itchy eyes are just a few of the common ailments made worse by dry air. In addition, the sore throat and sinus discomfort commonly experienced are due to the dehydration and cracking of the mucus membranes, which can lead to bleeding and leave you more susceptible to infections. And the dryer air is a great breeding ground for many viruses and bacteria.

The Whole-Home Humidifier Solution

A whole-home humidifier is an excellent choice to combat low humidity throughout your entire home. They are available as evaporative units and part of your central heating and cooling system, or as steam humidifiers not dependent on your HVAC system. Whichever avenue you choose, they are completely automatic, and bring a multitude of proven benefits to everyone.

SSI Hooks You Up

Contact us today to discover what a whole home humidifier could do to improve your winter environment, and which one we can install to fit your needs perfectly. Many affordable options are available, just ask. Our full service HVAC company has been people comfortable indoors since 1979!

SPECIAL OFFER

Now through December 31, 2012 SSI is offering a free Trane Humidifier with the purchase of a new Trane XLI comfort system! Also being offered is a Honeywell HE300 for $795 installed or an AprilAire 800 Steam Humidifier for $1895 installed.

Get details here (limited time only)

Request a service call at (703) 968-0606.