Have you ever felt that sticky air in your home and wondered if humidity could be the cause of the heat in your house? Most people associate this hot and sticky feeling with the long and sweaty days of the summer season. They wonder whether a dehumidifier might make their home feel cooler when these days come around once again. Unfortunately, the science behind humidity and temperature differences can be a little complicated.
What is Humidity?
It helps to first have a thorough understanding of exactly what humidity is. In the simplest terms possible, relative humidity is the amount of water vapour that the air can hold at one particular temperature. Another term for it is atmospheric moisture. Weather experts usually refer to humidity in the form of a percentage that represents how much of the air’s total capacity to hold water is taken up.
To give you an illustration, you might hear the weatherperson say that today’s relative humidity is fifty percent. This means that the air is holding just half of the moisture it could hold at the given temperature.
Does Humidity Raise My Home Temperature?
Contrary to popular belief, humidity does not actually increase the temperature inside your home. It does begin to make things feel more uncomfortable though. As the temperatures get higher, the amount of water that the air can hold increases. The sticky feeling that you experience during the summer months is because of the amount of moisture that the air can hold at those higher temperatures.
You rarely experience the same phenomenon in winter because the cold air simply cannot hold the same amount of moisture.
In the summer, it can feel even hotter because the air is already holding close to its maximum capacity of water. This means that the sweat on your skin does not readily evaporate into the air around you. As a result, you feel like the temperature around you is significantly hotter than it really is. By comparison, your sweat is quickly wicked away into the atmosphere by the cold air of winter.
How to Fix Humidity Levels
Because high humidity can make you feel so uncomfortable, many homeowners search for ways to eliminate it. You can install whole house dehumidifiers to draw the moisture out of the air. As well, you can also purchase small portable versions that work just for individual rooms. You will have to empty these frequently during the summer months.
If you have the opposite problem in the winter, you can also install whole house humidifiers that will restore some moisture back into the air.
No matter which problem you happen to be facing, let the professional heating contractors in Winnipeg help you correct it. At Provincial Heating and Cooling, we can give you all the tools you need to feel more comfortable in your home. Give us a call today to see how we can help you adjust the humidity levels of your home!