Admin on November 17, 2014 0 Comments There are many benefits to using a humidifier in your home. When you think of the air you breathe in your home, are you comfortable and healthy living there? When thinking about your utility bills, do you think your electric bill could be lower? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average home in America has two things in common: You can reduce your electricity bill up to 30 percent and you can be more comfortable with the air in your home. The role of humidity can make a big difference in how comfortable you feel in your home, while reducing electric costs. How to know if you need a humidifier? Many areas of the United States – such as the Midwest, Southwest and the West Coast – are dry, low-humidity climate zones. Maybe you moved there purposely because you don’t like humidity or would rather live with “a dry heat.” But according to a study on airborne flu viruses, drier air spreads the flu virus strains quicker than more humid air. The study authors found the flu virus retained a high rate of infectivity from a cough at relative humidity below 23 percent (drier air) but at a higher relative humidity of 40 percent; inactivation of the virus happens rapidly after coughing. A large review (PDF) for the World Health Organization found that many specific viruses, including most flu strains, survive better at lower relative humidity. The Downsides of Dry Air To make matters worse, an overly dry environment can make you more susceptible to infection because mucous membranes (your frontline germ filters in your nose) can’t work as well when they are dried out. Drier air can cause dry nasal passages and increased respiratory problems such as a scratchy nose and throat. Any chest congestion may feel particularly stubborn and hard to break up by coughing. Dry, itchy skin and/or eczema anywhere on your face or body, including chapped lips, are other signs of air that is too dry for you. Even bothersome nosebleeds or increased allergy symptoms are a sign you may need a cool-mist humidifier for your whole house, or at least the rooms where you spend most of your time. Also, if you live in a part of the country where you use a lot of artificially heated air during the winter, even more humidity is removed from your indoor air. This is precisely why using a humidifier and heater together is a wise idea to stay warm, without the potential ill-effects of dry air. According to the National Institutes of Health, increasing the humidity in your home helps eliminate the dry air that may irritate the airways in your nose and throat. Using a warm-mist humidifier in the bedroom at night can help when anyone in your family is sick, too. The warm mist can help relieve a stuffy nose or chest congestion so you can cough more effectively and blow your nose to break up and remove congestion. Many warm-mist humidifiers come with a medication cup to add therapeutic oils or additives to the water to ease congestion. And you can choose a model that is convertible from warm mist to cool mist in the same unit so you can use the cool mist in other rooms during the day to further increase humidity in the air around you. Lowering Your Electricity Bill & Improving Your Indoor Air During the cold winter months, turning the thermostat up increases the temperature in your home, but may not necessarily make you feel warmer if the air is too dry. Warm air holds more moisture, so increasing the humidity in the air in your home with a whole-house humidifier can help you feel warmer while allowing you to set the thermostat lower. For every degree you can lower your thermostat in winter, you can save up to 4 percent on your heating bill, according to the EPA. The ideal level of humidity for your home is between 25 and 40 percent in the winter and less than 60 percent in the summer. Use a humidifier with a built-in humidistat to keep humidity levels stable; see if raising the humidity to those levels allows you to feel warm, and then lower your thermostat. Supply your house with the proper amount of humidity so you can answer the question of whether you are comfortable and healthy in your home with a resounding “Yes!” Learn More: Shop for a Humidifier 5 Mistakes People Make When Using A Humidifier Why Your Heater & Humidifier Go Hand-in-Hand During Winter Why You Should Have a Humidifier in Your Baby’s Nursery