The Green Benefits of Using an Air Humidifier
There’s this hype with eco-living. People love it. People are embracing it. And with good reason — to protect Mother Earth. Now, you may be misled that the big stuff are the ones that cause the environment harm. Well, let me tell you, those seemingly small household items can also contribute to your carbon footprint at home.
Enter the air humidifier. Some think that it’s just one of those inventions that help you breathe better. But no. It pays more than one green dividend… Since clean air in your home may help decrease your home’s energy use, by proxy, you may also be reducing — no, you will be reducing your overall energy consumption! Let’s explore how air humidifiers pave the way for greener living, and just how energy-efficient they can be!
Understanding Air Humidifiers and Their Role in Indoor Air Quality
Air Humidifiers release moisture into the air to counteract the dryness that comes from running heating systems in your home. Skin, sinuses and lungs can become dried out from dry air, which in turn can cause so many health problems. Using an air humidifier will reduce these problems and increase your quality of living by keeping the humidity levels in your home between 30-50%.
How Air Humidifiers Enhance Energy Efficiency
1. Optimizing Indoor Temperature Perception
One good thing about humidifiers? They increase those tiny water droplets into your house, benefiting the perceived temperature. Warmer air transports more moisture. So when your air is more humid, you’ll feel warmer than the amount you get from your thermostat.
Good news? Even when you drop the number on your thermostat during the winter, you’ll still be comfortable! When you run a humidifier during winter, you will save so much energy. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that turning your thermostat back 1 degree can save up to 3% on your heating bill. Now how’s that!
2. Reducing Wear on Heating Systems
Your heating system will last longer. Humidifiers can make your home warmer as mentioned earlier, thus, they also decrease the burden on heating systems. Since the system does not have to work so thoroughly to heat your home up, it helps prolong the life of the equipment. So what does this do? Reduce the incidence of repair and replacement. In line with this, using the humidifier decreases the risk of electronic wastes, thus it is eco-friendly.
Choosing Green-Friendly Energy-Efficient Humidifiers
So you’ve made the choice to get yourself an air humidifier. Great! Now comes the great conundrum — choosing the right one. Let’s look at some popular, energy-efficient types you can consider to make your work easier:
Evaporative Humidifiers
These ones force air through a damp filter or wick and this naturally adds moisture. Compared to steam models, they have lower running costs because they can produce steam without using up heat. They also help to capture particles of dust and other impurities, so the quality of air in your home will be very much improved.
Ultrasonic Humidifiers
These humidifiers give a soothing, cool mist with sound vibrations that are high-frequency. The mist is quickly absorbed into the air, and the units are very energy-efficient. They draw little electricity and create very little noise. These units are also safe. And a bonus? They can function even in a warm climate where you may not want warm mist.
Solar-Powered Humidifiers
Though not in production for that many years, solar-powered humidifiers are recognized as safe and sustainable. These are humidifiers that were made specifically to rely on sunlight as energy to run valid for people who want to live ecologically friendly. Even if most of them require an electric source as a backup option, it’s an excellent principle that leans towards nature preservation and usage of solar power.
Environmental Benefits of Using Air Humidifiers
When air doesn’t have enough moisture, it can leave your skin dry and irritated. No one wants peeling skin! What’s worse? It causes respiratory problems so other than bad skin you’ll have breathing problems. Not cool.
Moisturized air keeps all these problems at bay — doing so without causing unnecessary damage to the environment. Think of it as nature’s way of addressing the issue. Another thing to toast is that it takes away the need for lotions and those pesky nasal drops, which are plastic in containers and are laced with chemicals. The eco-friendly solution — read air humidifiers — is an honest effort towards sustainability through waste reduction.
Air Humidifiers for a Greener Home
An air humidifier sounds like such a banal gadget, but it can actually have a huge positive impact both on health and sustainability. By keeping ideal humidity levels indoors, an air humidifier can increase comfort levels, lower energy consumption of heating systems, and improve indoor air quality. If used properly, even this small machine can fit into a green, energy-efficient lifestyle.