The problem with our climate here in Michigan is that sometimes winter pokes its ugly head during what’s supposed to be our wonderfully beautiful springtime. You might notice warm weather one day, and a freak snowstorm the next. That’s why your furnace is still an important member of the family!
However, there’s one piece of equipment you’ve probably forgotten about since temperatures have gotten warmer, and that’s your humidifier. Sure, summers can be muggy, but while we still have a few chilly days ahead of us, it’s important to remember how powerful humidifiers can be in combatting the cold!
With a humidifier working in conjunction with your furnace, your home’s air can resist the dry outdoor climate and stay warm, cozy, and humid. Let’s talk about some of the other benefits that come with humidifiers on chilly days that can improve your indoor air quality.
Humidity, Heat, and Our Health
Humidity is actually much more important to the heating of our homes than we originally thought many decades ago. The more research that goes into energy efficiency, the more it becomes clear that humid air actually retains heat much better than dry air. This is because of the high specific heat of water.
Specific heat refers to the energy it takes to cool water. You’ll notice if you ever have a pot of boiling water, that it actually takes time for that water to eventually cool down. Water is one of the best substances in existence that can hold heat and keep things warm, and thankfully our humidifiers insert that water into the air of our homes.
If you were to compare a furnace heating a dry home to a furnace heating a humid one, the dry home would take longer to heat and be less comfortable overall. Humidity helps your furnace tremendously.
How It Relates to Your Health
Humidity is also very important to the health of human beings during the winter. Our nostrils are specifically designed to filter air in humid environments, not in dry ones. If you’ll ever notice on an especially cold day, your nostrils will feel dry and your body will start to overproduce mucus.
Humidity in the air allows our noses to function optimally and siphon out germs like dust, bacteria, viruses, mold, and other particles out of the air before they reach our lungs. You’re actually statistically less likely to contract an illness in your home if you have humid air than if your air is dry, regardless of the temperature!
Systems Can Work Together
It’s time to stop thinking of your humidifier and your heater as separate units and start thinking of your HVAC system as one large entity. You can have multiple air quality and temperature control systems working together towards the same goal. An air filter, for instance, will ease the burden on your furnace by filtering out more particles and mitigating the damage done to the sensitive components of the system. Mixing an air filter, a humidifier, a furnace, and other technology together can be a wonderful way to create a comfortable and energy-efficient environment within your home!
Contact GRmetro Heating and Cooling to invest in furnace care or humidity services.
