As cooler weather approaches and the home cooling season ends, your demands on your HVAC systems will change. To make sure you’re ready for the fall and winter months, here are some fall home maintenance tasks to keep you warm and comfortable and keep your energy bills low.
- Seal your home, and check the insulation. Year-round, heating and cooling costs can account for almost half of your energy expenses, and most of those come from peak heating and cooling seasons when the difference between your home’s internal and external temperatures is trying to even out through heat exchange. Proper insulation and home sealing impedes that energy transfer, meaning you won’t be spending as much to keep your home at a comfortable warmth.
- Schedule professional maintenance on your HVAC systems. Your furnace has likely been sitting idle all summer, which means that it should be checked out before its heavy use days.
- Set your ceiling fan to its winter setting. Ceiling fans work by displacing air: the warm air which rises toward the ceiling, and the cool air which settles near the ground. In the summer, fans push air down, displacing cool lower air to a comfortable height. In winter, reversing your fan will create a gentle upwards draft which moves the warm air back down to a place where you can feel it.
- Make sure that your thermostats are set to the correct temperature, and consider programmable thermostats which can concentrate your energy use toward the times you’ll actually be at home and needing warm indoor temperatures.
- Test your carbon monoxide and fire alarms. Furnace use can contribute to carbon monoxide buildup and present a risk of fire, especially in older systems, so part of your fall home maintenance should definitely be protecting your household against these threats.
- Clean and maintain your humidifiers, whether you have a central system or a standalone unit.
To learn more about winter preparedness or to schedule a maintenance appointment, don’t hesitate to contact us at James Lane Air Conditioning & Plumbing. We’re happy to help you prepare for the cooler weather ahead.
