When a customer calls into Smylie One and asks me about their comfort issues in the winter time the first question I always ask them is, “Do you have a humidifier on your heating system?” The answer I usually receive is “No, why are you asking me about that?  I am cold and I have to turn up the thermostat to feel warm.”

Turning your temperature up in the wintertime will keep you warm but won’t increase your home’s humidity level. Daily activities such as showering, cooking and doing laundry don’t produce enough moisture to keep your home’s air from being too dry. According to medical experts, many viruses thrive in low humidity increasing the likelihood of catching colds, flu and upper respiratory ailments. The American Society of Otolaryngology even reports that it is important to prevent an overly dry environment because it makes people more susceptible to infection.

A Whole-Home Automatic Humidifier, installed by a Smylie One professional, will deliver the perfect amount of moisture to your air making you feel more comfortable at lower thermostat settings. In fact, the EPA states that you can save up to 4% on your heating bill for every degree you lower your thermostat! It also will protect your family and your home from the unhealthy and damaging effects of over-dry air. Some of these effects are; Dry nose, cracked, itchy skin, and sore throats, aggravated allergy and asthma symptoms, painful static shocks, chipping paint and plaster, splitting or cracked wood floors, furniture, trim and molding. Sound familiar? Why go through another season with these problems when there is a solution—an automatic whole-home humidifier.

Here is how it works. The humidifier is installed directly to your central new or existing heating and cooling system. Humidity is introduced into your home’s air in the form of water vapor, which prevents minerals from entering the air in your home and potentially into your lungs. Water is supplied to the distribution tray, allowing it to flow evenly across the water panel. The resulting humidified air is then distributed via your heating and cooling system ductwork throughout your home.

What about those portable units that are sold at the big box stores? The main issues with these are that they produce too much humidity  for one area of the home. This can be as much of a problem as too little humidity. Unlike portable units an automatic whole home humidifier continually monitors relative humidity levels in your home, and then works to deliver the right amount of moisture, never too much or too little, to your entire house. They also don’t require the daily cleaning and disinfecting that many portable units require and you never need to worry about the risk of microbial organism growth due to standing water.

So remember it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity! For more information on how you can bring your home from feeling like the Sahara desert to feeling more like the tropics, call Smylie One and ask for some comfort relief.