Homeowners in Eastern North Carolina are no strangers to humidity, but did you know that it’s a factor in your health and your home’s health? Whether it’s the high humidity of the rainy summer months or the low humidity of the drier autumn ones, here’s what you need to know about the moisture content of your indoor air.
When humidity is high…
- Mold, mildew, fungus, and bacteria all thrive in humid environments. If your home suffers from air leaks, the humid air coming in or escaping from your home can carry moisture into your walls and crawl spaces, creating additional dark, damp places for these organisms to grow. These can trigger allergies and other respiratory illnesses, and aggravate conditions like asthma.
- Humid air holds heat. While this can actually increase your furnace’s efficiency in the winter, during the summer, it makes your A/C’s job harder.
- Humid air prevents the body from shedding heat as effectively, making hot, muggy days more uncomfortable and increasing the risk of heat stroke.
When humidity is low…
- Dry air dries out wood and fabric, encouraging dust production. This can trigger allergies among many people: an allergy to dust mites is among the most common allergies in the United States.
- Your body loses moisture more quickly to dry air, which can cause dehydration as well as dry, itchy skin and chapped lips. It also causes air to feel colder — which can be beneficial in the summer, but is something to be avoided in the winter months.
- The flu virus prefers dry environments, and will spread more easily in dry air. That’s one of the reasons that the drier winter and autumn months coincide with flu season.
- Dry air encourages the buildup of static electricity, which can cause static shocks. While not terribly dangerous to people, static shocks can damage sensitive electronics, such as computer chips and hearing aids.
If you’re curious about how you can manage humidity and allergies in your Eastern North Carolina home, call Jackson & Sons today!
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Eastern North Carolina (including Wayne, Johnston, Greene, Lenoir, Pitt and Duplin Counties) about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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