home
by Foley’s Heating & AC, Inc.
Get Ready for Next Winter NOW
It’s never too early to get your home ready for next winter, so make sure your home is efficiently winter-proofed. There are many DIY techniques for preserving home heat, however, professional furnace maintenance and inspection is the most important. Thanks to a certain pandemic and typical winter weather, we’ve all been spending more time than usual in our homes lately. You may have found yourself realizing that perhaps your home is lacking in some areas regarding heating efficiency. Drafty windows or doors may have been easier to overlook when you spent more time out of the house, but now it’s a more noticeable issue. With warmer weather not too far around the corner, now is an excellent time to address the problems that cause inefficient heating scenarios so that come next winter, you and your house are ready. In older homes, leaky windows and doors can be shored up with weather stripping or plastic coverings as affordable solutions. If your budget allows, the ideal solution is replacing ill-fitting doors and old windows. Nothing says you have to do all of them at once. Many homeowners find that updating windows and doors in phases is affordable and minimizes the inconvenience of managing multiple window and door upgrades. If your home has a fireplace, be sure to close the flue when not in use. It’s easy to overlook but leaving it open equates to leaving a window open. Another simple technique for preserving home heat is
30 |
March 2021 | thehoodmagazine.com
to open the blinds and curtains on windows during sunny days, especially south-facing windows. The solar heat generated will lessen the load on your furnace. Preventative maintenance is always a prudent practice to avoid unexpected repair and replacement expenses. Scheduling regular inspections of your HVAC system is a simple and affordable option versus a middle-of-the-weekend system breakdown that could likely be avoided. If you want to make it relatively effortless, look into a maintenance service contract with a local HVAC company. Have a professional inspect your ductwork. Often there are pinholes, gaps, and ill-fitting seams that can significantly diminish your furnace’s efficiency. The other simple maintenance practice is to replace your furnace filter regularly. Finally, while the wind is still howling and cooler temperatures prevail, make a note of any and all spots in your house that are a source of air leakages, such as gaps around chimneys, unfinished spaces behind cabinets, utility cutouts, and recessed lighting. A bead of caulk can go a long way to addressing these sources of inefficiency. l
