If there’s ever been a huge, drastic difference in
temperatures anywhere in the U.S. it’s got to be the weather in Nashville. With
90 degree, humid summers it’s hard to believe that not even 6 months later you
can be shivering and cranking your home’s heat up as high as it will go.
But take it from the Maynard Man—this is inefficient as best
and damaging to your heating system at worst. It restricts the system’s
lifespan and increases the likelihood of repair needs. Ideally, you should be
keeping your thermostat within a consistent range throughout the year for
optimal comfort.
“But then Won’t I be Uncomfortably Cold in the Winter?”
Many homeowners complain about feeling colder in their homes during the winter and hotter in the summer, even if they keep their thermostats within the same general range all year long. The reason for this isn’t an inefficient heating system.
At least, your heating system isn’t always to blame. Rather, the reason is low humidity in your indoor
air, making that air feel cooler.
Nashville is pretty well known for hot and sticky summers,
but our winters pack quite the punch too. They’re very cold and full of
excessively dry air. The ideal relative humidity level in any given home is
between 30%-50%, and anything below that range is considered too dry.
That dry air will, in fact, make you feel uncomfortably
cooler in the winter, despite heating system use, than you would have
otherwise. With the lack of moisture in the air, the temperature is lowered. To
get that comfort back, you have to turn the thermostat for your heater up a few
degrees—which as we alluded to above, is an inefficient use of your heater.
“So, What Is the Solution?”
Consider the installation of a whole-house humidifier. This
system will restore your home’s relative humidity back to an appropriate level,
and make you feel a whole lot better in the meantime!
Not only that, dry air lowers your immunity. This means you
can get sick far easier—no wonder wintertime is also cold and flu season,
right? With dried out sinuses, you simply can’t fight off sickness very well.
But a humidifier can help!
This system will also add moisture back into your property
where it’s desperately needed. Take any hardwood floors, wood furniture, or
even precision wood instruments for example. These can all suffer by drying out
and cracking, with too little humidity.
“Can My Home Get Too Humid?”
When summer rolls back around and that relative humidity
level creeps above the 30%-50% range we mentioned earlier, yes. Too much
humidity can cause problems for your property and for your health by way of
allergies or illness from exposure to mold and mildew that can grow as a
result.
You don’t have to deal with this though. Just like the installation of a whole-house humidifier will help you achieve true comfort this coming season, a dehumidifier will help you in the summer months. Reach out to our team to learn more.
Need a Helping Hand, Call the Maynard Man! We are the Nashville heating contractor you can trust for your HVAC and indoor air quality needs.
