We say that hackneyed phrase so often in summer - It’s not the heat it’s the humidity. Of course we mean that’s what makes the summer so dang miserable, but many people don’t realize humidity can make us just as miserable in the winter.

While our hair fairs a bit better with the low humidity in the winter, indeed all of my good hair days occur from October – March, our skin and sinuses really suffer from low humidity.

Low humidity makes our skin dry and itchy. I have to use three humidifiers in winter to maintain my indoor humidity at 40%. Lower than that and my nose gets stuffy, and I start to rub my itchy back against the door jamb like a grizzly bear.

To be comfortable year round get a hygrometer (an inexpensive device, available from many online sources, sort of like a thermometer that will tell you the humidity in your room) If you are experiencing a stuffy nose, or itchy skin and your humidity is below 40% you might benefit from a humidifier. Portable humidifiers are available online, and while they are a bit of a hassle, as they need to be filled with water sometimes twice a day, I cannot live without mine.

If you really want to be comfortable in the winter consider getting a “Ground Hog” geothermal heat pump. Rob Gault, owner of Atlas LC Heating and Air Conditioning says, “geothermal heat pumps do not scorch the air, so it’s not as dry as it would be from a gas or an oil furnace. In the summertime Geothermal air-conditioning yields much more efficient de humidification.”

There are many reasons to consider a geothermal heat pump. To learn more you can check it out with this link https://www.atlas4ac.com/air-source-ground-source-geothermal-heat-pump.html. Or feel free to give us a call at 703-335-1730. We are always happy to hear from you.