What the “Feels Like” Temperature Means for Your Home

When it comes to comfort, the actual temperature of your home makes an impact, but it’s also tempered by the amount of indoor humidity. In fact, when you change humidity levels indoors, you actually change how you feel. Dry air always feels cooler, summer and winter, and humid air invariably feels warmer.

Ideal indoor humidity levels should hover between 35 and 50 percent. Anything under or over those readings contributes to discomfort, and can negatively impact indoor air quality, your health and that of your home. When the air falls below 30 percent in the winter, a thermostat setting of 72 degrees will feel a few degrees cooler. Conversely, a humidity level over 50 percent in the summer makes you feel warmer regardless of the thermostat setting because perspiration on the skin won’t dry as quickly.

Managing Humidity

You can alter the perceived temperature indoors by changing the humidity levels throughout the year. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers either add or remove water vapor. Keeping humidity levels even throughout the year promotes comfort, health, and lowers cooling and heating costs. A small investment in a hygrometer, a device that measures humidity, will help you monitor the changing humidity levels and make adjustments to keep the level within the optimal ranges.

If you find that indoor humidity is difficult to manage, consider using your HVAC system to control it. Both whole-house humidifiers and dehumidifiers are an energy efficient way to achieve the optimal levels year-round.

Maintaining ideal humidity levels indoors does impact your perception of temperature and affects your health.

To learn more, contact Sobieski Services, Inc. We strive to educate our customers in Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware about home health, comfort issues and energy efficiency, especially with regard to their HVAC and plumbing systems.

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