Cold temperatures are on the horizon in Louisville. We’re starting to spend more time indoors. That means it’s time for everyone’s favorite wintertime activity: time to prepare HVAC for winter!
Joking aside, winterizing your HVAC system is both simple and essential. Proactive maintenance can be the difference between a mid-winter breakdown and staying cozy until spring comes again.
Simple DIY maintenance tasks like cleaning and improving insulation can translate to significant home energy savings. Before winter truly arrives, however, is a great opportunity to invest in a professional HVAC inspection and tune-up.
Like everything else, your furnace requires regular maintenance. Preventative HVAC maintenance and performance testing are key to keeping your furnace efficient, extending its lifespan, and keeping your family safe and comfortable.
Calling a professional to perform seasonal proactive maintenance is key because they perform important safety checks. An improperly-maintained furnace can lead to dangers like carbon monoxide leaks, which skilled HVAC technicians can both prevent and identify.
Regular inspections catch issues while they’re still minor, avoiding more dire and costly breakdowns. Well-maintained furnaces last longer and work more efficiently, saving money in both the short- and long-term.
Seasonal HVAC inspections are a great way to grant yourself peace of mind, especially as holiday guests come to stay. Before the cold weather really sets in, schedule your seasonal HVAC tune-up.
Filter replacement or cleaning is an essential component of winter HVAC maintenance. Dirt and dust inevitably build up in HVAC equipment over time. This debris causes it to be less efficient and less effective at keeping you warm. Struggling against a clogged filter puts more stress on the furnace and can cause it to break down earlier than it would otherwise.
In addition to undermining your HVAC system’s efficiency, clogged filters also cause your home’s air quality to worsen. Dust and allergens end up back in the air, which can be especially irritating during the wintertime as we spend more time indoors.
Replacing your air filters is a relatively easy task you can perform yourself. It’s also included in professional preventative maintenance services. To maintain efficiency and air quality, replace air filters every 1-3 months.
To keep your home energy use efficient, it's crucial to ensure your thermostat is working properly. For energy-efficient heating this winter, keep your home as cool as is comfortable during the day. Turning the temperature back even more when you’re out of the house balances comfort with energy savings.
The batteries in your thermostat typically need to be changed about once a year, and winter is a great time to check that quick task off the list. Keeping up with battery replacement each year means the display won’t go blank on you, and you’ll have control of your heating and cooling system all year long.
Many thermostats show a low-battery warning on the display when it’s time to replace the batteries. Replacing your thermostat’s batteries is also a good fix to try if your heating and cooling equipment doesn’t quickly respond to thermostat adjustments.
Winter is also a great time to consider upgrading to a programmable or smart thermostat to save on your energy costs. Energy-efficient heating systems maintain cooler temperatures at night or when family members are away to save heating costs without manually adjusting the thermostat multiple times a day.
Another important step for improving indoor comfort while staying energy-efficient this winter is insulating your home. Air leaks allow warm air to escape your home, forcing your system to work harder to maintain temperatures indoors, and raising your heating costs.
Cut throughs for pipes, gaps around chimneys, and ill-fitting doors and windows are common culprits for air leaks. Using weatherstripping or caulk to eliminate these leaks will keep your home warmer and your energy costs down this winter.
The U.S. Department of Energy is a useful resource for detailed instructions on these and other heating efficiency tips for this fall and winter.
To properly warm a home, HVAC systems need to be able to move air throughout the space. Similarly to air filters, however, vents and registers accumulate dust and debris that hurts the efficiency of the system. Cleaning vents and registers regularly is another simple way to immediately improve the efficiency of your system before winter.
Using a damp cloth, warm, soapy water, and a vacuum cleaner, remove dust from vents throughout the home. As you clean these areas, check for any obstruction as well. Furniture, rugs, and curtains should not block vents or registers. This light cleaning should be performed about twice a year to improve airflow and comfort.
Dry air is a common complaint in the wintertime, aggravating winter woes like chapped lips, dry noses, and static. Investing in a humidifier is a great solution to make the time you spend indoors this winter more comfortable.
Humidifiers are also a useful tool to ease coughing and congestion during cold and flu season. Subjectively, air with a higher humidity level tends to feel warmer too. While Louisvillians are used to complaining about humidity in the summer, adding some extra moisture to the air can make a big difference in health and comfort during the winter.
Single-room humidifiers can make a big difference. However if you need a more heavy-duty and long-term solution to dry air, whole home humidifiers might be the way to go. DFH Company is Louisville’s trusted source for high-quality Trane whole home humidifiers.
Early HVAC winterization ensures you’ll stay comfortable all winter long without blowing the heating budget. Simple dusting, changing batteries, and filling leaks go a long way toward maintaining a well-functioning HVAC system.
Don’t get stuck with furnace problems after the temperatures drop–reach out to the experts at DFH Company to thoroughly inspect and maintain your system, catching small problems before they snowball. DFH have been Louisville’s furnace tune-up experts since 1935, dedicated to quality, efficient service, and comfort for our clients.
Schedule your furnace or HVAC tune-up with DFH today to keep your home warm and efficient all winter.
