When I relocated to Springfield, Missouri, I was eager to experience all four seasons.
Born and raised in the deep south, I was accustomed to heat and humidity but had never seen snow.
My first winter was a bit difficult. I was not prepared for temperatures in the low twenties and even the teens. I didn’t have a warm enough coat, hat, boots or gloves. I didn’t own a snow shovel, snow brush or ice scraper. I learned that shoveling snow is time-consuming, labor-intensive and not enjoyable at all. Every time I wanted to leave for work or go anywhere, I needed to budget a great deal of extra time for clearing the driveway, scraping ice off the windshield and allowing the car to warm up and defrost. Walking across icy pavement can be treacherous and pushing a grocery cart through the snow is nearly impossible. I spent the entirety of that first winter hiding inside with the thermostat cranked up. It cost me a small fortune in heating bills. I thought something was wrong with the furnace because it was running non stop. When I hired a local Springfield HVAC contractor to take a look, he mentioned the unusually high thermostat setting. He explained how to change the filter, encouraged an annual maintenance program for the furnace and recommended the installation of a humidifier. I had not realized that insufficient humidity can be as problematic as excessive humidity. He explained that the lack of moisture in the air was making it feel colder. Also, overly dry air causes issues with headaches, congestion, coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, sore throat, allergy symptoms and dry skin. Everything from my frizzy hair and chapped lips was due to the lack of humidity. I was getting static shocks whenever I walked across the carpet and even suffered a bloody nose. The installation of a whole-home humidifier was a great decision, significantly improving the comfort of the home and making the winters a bit more bearable.