Because we're experiencing a hot, humid summer in DC, I thought this would be a perfect time to talk about humidity.
We all recognize how the humidity on a hot summer day causes us to feel hotter and more uncomfortable. Humidity in the winter can cause a similar sensation. On a cold day, if the humidity is low in your home, you will feel colder even at a higher temperature setting, but if you add humidity, you will be more comfortable even at a lower temperature setting. It has to do with the perspiration on our skin and the speed with which it evaporates: slower in a more humid atmosphere and quicker in a dryer atmosphere. The quicker it evaporates, the cooler we feel.
It is important that we have a humidifier in our homes and preferably one that has a humidistat that controls the amount of moisture that’s added to the air of your home. If there's too much moisture, you can start to grow mold, and if there's too little, you feel static electricity and the membranes of your throat and sinuses dry out, possibly causing colds and other illnesses.
A similar thing applies with air conditioning. It is important that the air conditioner removes the humidity in the summer, without which we won’t be comfortable, even if the temperature is set low.
In both cases, the cost of heating and cooling our homes will be increased without humidity control and we will not be as healthy.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog and gained some knowledge about the effect of humidity.
Jim Mitcham
Jim's, Inc.
jimsphac@aol.com
(301) 926-3499
