Is Your Air Conditioning Affecting Your Skin?

Dry skin is not something we usually have to worry about in Florida. In fact, if there are any advantages to living in a humid climate, it’s that we’re not usually afflicted with the level of dryness that can make skin and scalp flake, while also drying out nasal passages and throat.

That’s not to say that if you run your HVAC system continuously, particularly at times when humidity is lower than usual, you couldn’t encounter some issues with dry skin.

Low Humidity in Florida?

Yes, sometimes the humidity levels do drop in Florida, especially when the weather is cooler. The cooler the air, the less moisture it can hold.

Low humidity can remove moisture from your skin. The elderly or those with eczema may experience adverse reactions to low humidity more than others. Skin will feel red, rough, cracked, scaly and itchy.

Irritations of the nose and throat may also occur. These irritations can make it easier for you to catch colds and flu, as the viruses floating in the air find their way into our bodies through cracked or irritated skin. Be aware that dry air also makes it easier for viruses to be transmitted.

Ideal Humidity

We tend to feel more comfortable with relative humidity on the low side — say 30-50 percent. Any higher, and we may create conditions that make us feel sticky and uncomfortable. In Florida, we often have to add whole-house or portable dehumidifiers to lower humidity to a comfortable level.

Although it’s unlikely to happen in our region, if you ever find your humidity so low that your skin, nose or throat dry out, you may want to look into a portable humidifier as a temporary fix to raise the moisture level in your home during the dry spell. Also try boiling water on the stove, or adding houseplants in your home to raise moisture levels.

Have an issue with humidity levels in your home? Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions is here to answer your questions. We’re also available to schedule maintenance or repairs on your HVAC system, or to install new equipment.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).