The holidays are the perfect time to spend time with family and friends. If you plan on hosting holiday parties this year, a comfortable indoor environment can help create a sense of relaxation and encourage conversation. Beautiful decorations, as well as scrumptious food, can also add to your hospitality. Don’t forget, you’ll also want to make sure you keep your house warm. It might be cold outdoors but having a toasty indoor environment will keep your guests comfortable. The following holiday heating tips will help you create that ideal winter shelter for family and friends.
Keep Warm With These Tips For Holiday Heating
1. Eliminate Air Drafts: Seal Gaps & Cracks
Your heating system will not only work harder if there are gaps or cracks but the heat will be wasted because warm air will escape from your home. Take some time to inspect walls, windows, and exterior doors. If there are any cracks or holes that need repair, get some weather stripping or caulking to fix the problem. Getting help from an expert can also be a great idea. They will have advanced tools to find leaks and will be able to help you significantly reduce energy bills by increasing the energy efficiency of your heating system.
2. Improve Indoor Air Quality: Put In A Clean Air Filter
A furnace’s air filter is designed to protect it from damage caused by dust and dirt. With an air filter in place, your furnace can deliver warm air through your house. However, air filters don’t last forever and with time, they get dirty and clogged. If it’s been some time since you’ve changed your filters, now might be a good time to check them. Look to see if the surface of the filter is dirty because this can impede proper airflow. A new, clean filter can help your furnace run at its best, while improving indoor air quality.
3. Enhance Energy Efficiency: Install A Programmable Thermostat
Depending on what you’re doing, the indoor temperature that is comfortable can change. It’s not unusual for people to simply make a manual adjustment to their thermostat settings based on their changing needs. However, many people are turning to the simplicity of a programmable thermostat. This kind of thermostat can adjust automatically depending on your specific needs throughout the day. It’s more reliable than changing the thermostat manually. With a programmable thermostat, you can concentrate on other tasks, like entertaining guests or preparing food.
4. Ensure Comfort: Schedule Maintenance For Your HVAC System
Take steps to make sure your home’s heating system is ready to handle cold winter temperatures. Schedule a maintenance service with a local heating and cooling contractor. They’ll be able to provide a complete furnace inspection as well as an inspection of ductwork and air vents. They’ve been trained to spot potential issues so they can be fixed before they develop into larger problems. An HVAC professional can clean your system and remove any hazards from the area. Regular maintenance service can prevent expensive repairs. Additionally, this type of service will keep your system operating at peak performance. A tune-up for your heating system can improve the comfort of your home while also reducing energy costs.
5. Endless Hot Water: Switch to a Tankless Water Heater
When guests come for the holidays, some might be staying at your house. This is especially true if you have family that will be traveling a long distance. Of course, you’ll want to make sure that everyone will have the hot water they need for a shower. Your hot water heater might not be up to the sudden demand this type of situation can create. Now’s the time to consider having a tankless water heater installed so you get hot water on demand, whenever you need it.
6. Improve Heating Performance: HVAC Zoning Systems
Guests who will be staying in your home will certainly need a warm room to sleep in. Does your HVAC system provide uniform heat throughout your home? Have you noticed areas that seem a bit colder than other areas? Maybe you’d like to have more flexibility to meet the temperature needs of various guests. This can all be accomplished by having a zoning system set up with help from your local HVAC expert. Your HVAC contractor will work with you to keep your zoning transition on budget and get the zones set before your guests arrive.
7. Don’t Block Vents: Keep Air Vents Clear
Have you noticed a sudden and unexpected drop in temperature in your home? Perhaps you’ve recently moved some furniture around, check to make sure there are no vents that are blocked. It could be a cabinet, table, chair, or curtains blocking airflow from the vent. This little oversight can prevent warm air from reaching certain rooms. Make sure there’s a little distance between your furniture and wall vents, that might make a difference. It’s a simple fix for a common problem.
8. Be Safe: Space Heaters
If you’re still noticing rooms that are colder than others, consider using a space heater. These heaters can quickly heat up any room. Of course, you need to always exercise caution when using a space heater because they require quite a bit of power. They’re also a potential fire hazard, so any flammable items must be kept away from the heater. For safety purposes, a space heater requires constant attention. Turn the heater off any time you’ll be going to sleep or leaving the room.
9. Think About Airflow: Switch Your Ceiling Fans To Reverse
Cold air drops and warm air rises. This can be useful during hot summer months when you want to keep your home cool. However, it’s not helpful in the winter when you want that warm air down where you can feel it. You can easily use your ceiling fans to push the warm air back down where you need it. Simply set the fan to spin in a clockwise direction. It’s an easy way to keep your home warmer without the expense you’ll face if you set your thermostat higher.
Conclusion
It doesn’t have to be expensive to create a warm environment in your home. The strategies discussed above are easy to implement. They will help prevent an HVAC emergency while you are focused on the holidays. Professional help from an HVAC contractor is also available should you need it. Also, don’t forget to order fuel when your tank is about 30% full. This way, you don’t run out while you have guests at home. When you prepare carefully, your chances of having successful holiday parties are more likely and you’ll leave a wonderful impression with your guests.
Call R.F. Ohl To Help With All Your HVAC Needs
R.F. Ohl offers quality heating and cooling service in the Poconos and the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. You can count on us to hire only the best technicians who are trained and certified to provide excellent HVAC installations, tune-ups, repairs, and replacements. All of our technicians have the expertise to correctly service your HVAC system.
R.F. Ohl guarantees you’ll get the most competitive HVAC service in the area. We have maintenance services to improve home comfort and energy efficiency while lowering your home’s heating and cooling bills. If you need HVAC service or a replacement system, we’ll help you choose the best option for your home and budget. All of our work comes with a satisfaction guarantee. Give R.F. Ohl a call today and schedule your professional HVAC service appointment. We also offer free, in-home estimates.
Click here to contact us today or give us a call at (610) 377-1098 if you have any questions.
The post Get Your Home Ready For The Holidays With These Holiday Heating Tips appeared first on R.F. Ohl.
Joe Wrightson absolutely made the right call to replace his existing oil-fired boiler because it was really old and outdated and it was also leaking a puddle of water all over the floor. Not only that, but it was also an inefficient system that would’ve been very expensive for the homeowner if they continued using it in its current rundown state. R.F. Ohl and Matt Miller recognized an opportunity to replace it with a natural gas-fired Energy Kinetics Ascent Boiler.
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