It's Not the Cold, It's The Humidity!

"It's not the heat, it's the humidity". If you're like me, nothing, short of perhaps "Hot enough for ya?" coming out of the mouth of your friend, co-worker, or a stranger makes you crazier. When it's 90 degrees out with 90 percent humidity, we KNOW the humidity is a factor, genius, and you know what, the HEAT isn't helping any. Out of this stupid and overused expression some useful information can be found, however.

We know that on a hot day, high humidity makes it feel even warmer. Removing humidity in these instances will make it feel cooler. This is why in addition to cooling air; an air conditioner also removes humidity. What about when it's cold out, though? What effect does humidity have then? Not surprisingly, it has the same effect.

How can this help us while we're trying to stay warm in our homes and apartments this winter? Next time you feel the temptation to turn up the thermostat, first find yourself a hygrometer. A hydrometer measures humidity, and hygrometer are a feature on some thermometers, clocks, and other household items. Chances are, if your thermostat is at a reasonable temperature, but you still feel cold, that the humidity in your house is low.

I recently did a test at my own home. With the external temperatures in the upper 30's, I had the heat on in my house set in the middle 60's. It still felt cold in the house, though, and I'm pretty thick skinned. A quick check of the humidity in the house showed it be hovering around 30%. Instead of turning up the thermostat, I pulled out my humidifier, filled it up, and plugged it in.

Within a few hours, with the external temperatures and the thermostat both unchanged, the house felt much warmer. What had changed was the humidity in the house, which had gone from under 30% to slightly over 50%.

Why is this? In a room with low humidity, moisture from your skin will evaporate at a faster rate, causing you to feel cooler. This is the same concept that we see when we sweat in hot weather to cool down.

What does it all mean? It means that if you'd like to feel warmer this winter and save money on heating bills, get yourself a humidifier or two. I recommend a "cool mist" or ultrasonic humidifier. These put an impressively large amount of moisture into the air in a fairly limited amount of time, and are energy efficient. Investing the $25-75 dollars a humidifier will cost (cost varies by size and features) will be well worth it in savings you'll see on your heating bill. Depending on the size of your home, you may need several humidifiers placed throughout the house to get the humidity where you want it, but again, the investment is well worth it.

In addition to helping you feel warmer and saving you money on heating costs, keeping the humidity in your home at a higher level in the winter can also be beneficial to your health. Breathing dry air can lead to such ailments as bronchitis, sinusitis, asthma, nosebleeds, and dehydration. Dry air can also cause dry skin and eye irritation.

So, in closing, it is well worth a small investment of time and money to determine and increase the humidity in your home this winter. Doing so will save you money, make you more comfortable, and help keep you healthier. After all, when it comes to feeling chilly or sick, it's not the cold, it's the humidity!