According to Service Magic, the electric heat produced by baseboard heaters will not dry out a room as much as heaters that blow the air into a room via heater vents. Electric baseboard heat radiates much like a furnace that uses water radiators to heat. Although the heater itself does not dry out a room, there are ways to increase the humidity in your home during the winter.
Why Does Air Dry Out?
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Winter typically has lower humidity to start with since there is less moisture evaporating from the soil due to the sun's radiating heat. This means that the air pulled into your home has less moisture in it. When this mixes with the dry heat produced by a furnace, the air from the outside dries out even more. This is why you have a noticeable decrease in moisture during the winter. This is often most noticeable to those who suffer from dry skin during the winter months.
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Humidifiers
Humidifiers add moisture to the air. If you raise the humidity in your home by 10 percent, you roughly raise the temperature by 1 degree Fahrenheit. This may sound small but, over the winter season, this change in temperature can save you money. A humidifier takes water, filters it and adds the water into the air as a fine mist. A humidifier usually affects one room but you can install a home humidifier that adds moisture to every room if needed.
Pots of Water
Placing pots of water on shelves will help to increase the moisture content through natural evaporation. This provides a constant, energy-efficient flow of moisture into the air. This method costs less than a humidifier but can cause small messes if you have children or animals that might spill the pots. This is also a good way to add a little aromatherapy by adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the water. As the water evaporates into the air, it will add the scent of the essential oil to the air.
Aquariums
Add a little serenity to your home along with a little moisture. Most aquariums are heated. The additional heat in the water causes aquarium water to evaporate relatively fast. When the water evaporates, it has nowhere to go other than into the air of the room the aquarium is in. This gives you centralized humidity in a room like your bedroom or living room.
Wet Clothes
String up a clothesline in your home and air-dry your clothes when you wash them. As the water evaporates into the air, it adds humidity into the air. This also reduces the electricity used and the heat produced by your clothes dryer. This is a great alternative during the winter when heating costs are high and you want to save on your electric bill.