If your home is well sealed and insulated, it can be great for your wallet with lower utility bills. Unfortunately, this can lead to less than comfortable living conditions when the same air cycles over and over through your home. It can also cause humidity imbalances and make your home susceptible to damage from mold. The good news is you can have the best of both worlds: an energy-efficient home that is also comfortable. AW Heating & Air Conditioning in Lincoln can help!
Provide a constant flow of fresh air.
To make your home as comfortable as possible and to decrease health-threatening pollutants, your home needs a continuous stream of fresh air. Opening a window isn’t always realistic and can invite pollen and other allergens into your home. Investing in a whole-home ventilation system is a better solution. It mixes fresh outside air with your conditioned indoor air.
Keep humidity under control.
For optimal comfort and health, we suggest keeping your home’s relative humidity levels between 30% and 60%. A thermostat with humidity control can help. Here are some signs that might suggest your home is too humid:
- Consistently damp areas
- Musty odors
- Condensation stains on the ceiling
- Condensation or frost on windows
- Sticky or clammy feeling in the air
- Peeling wallpaper
- You have to run your air conditioner more often to stay cool and dry
Whenever the air in your home is overly dry, you can also have problems. In the wintertime, indoor relative humidity can plummet into single digits—similar to that of the world’s most parched deserts. These symptoms could mean that the humidity in your home is too low:
- Frequent allergies or respiratory illnesses
- Scratchy, sore throat or excessive cough
- Dry, irritated nasal passages
- Dry, itchy skin
- Chapped lips
- Static shocks
- Cracked, peeling wallpaper
- Warped or cracked wood
- Damage to household furnishings
At AW Heating & Air Conditioning in Lincoln, we offer dehumidifiers and humidifiers that allow you to control humidity levels through your entire home. Call us at 402-318-5351 or schedule an appointment online to see how we can help make your home its most comfortable!