Autumn is here and winter will soon be on its way. Where we’re located in Southern Ohio, that often means snow, ice, and plunging temperatures. You may already be pulling sweaters, fluffy coats, and insulated boots out of your closet in anticipation of the changing weather, but have you thought about how best to prepare your home?
Here are three easy tips you can use to make sure your home is winter-ready:
- Check your windows
Windows are one of the primary means of cold air entering your home and warm air leaving it. Unless you have brand new windows, it’s possible that the seals around them are not as efficient as they once were. If that’s the case, your furnace will have to work harder this winter to heat your home.
By checking the seals on your windows and having them repaired if needed, you can ensure your family stays toasty during cold days and you can keep your energy bills lower, too.
- Change your furnace’s air filter
If you don’t already have a routine for checking your furnace’s air filter, this is a great time to start. Pull it out and take a look – if it’s black or discolored make sure you change it out for a new one (air filters are usually very cheap and available at your local hardware store).
Fresh air filters help your furnace run more efficiently, helping to keep your home warm and heated. It also keeps your furnace from working harder than it needs to and since you don’t want your furnace breaking down when it’s 30 degrees outside, now is a great time to make sure everything is in tip-top shape.
Pro Tip: Don’t forget to mark your calendar to check the air filter again in a few months!
- Consider having your HVAC serviced
Now might also be a good time to call your heating and air company out to do routine servicing and maintenance on your furnace. This will allow them to make sure it’s clean, efficient, and catch any mechanical issues that could otherwise leave you shivering and without heat on bitter winter days.
And of course, if you haven’t had your duct work cleaned in recent years, give us or your local professional duct cleaners a call. In addition to the three tips above, duct cleaning helps your furnace to run more efficiently and will prevent indoor allergies and dust from putting a damper on your holiday plans this season.
I want to get some air ducts cleaning on my HVAC, as my current one is dirty. Its helpful when you said that fresh air filters help your furnace run more efficiently. Thanks for the information on air duct cleaning and I hope that I can get a good service for my room soon!