10 Holiday Heating Tips

Making sure your home is as comfortable as possible is especially important during the holiday season, when the weather has turned cold and odds are you have more friends and family visiting than usual. The following are ten holiday heating tips that will help you keep your home warm and safe while keeping your heating costs down:

1. Have your heating system inspected – A professional inspection will reveal any potential issues before they turn into more severe problems. An inspector will also clean and lubricate parts as needed to help ensure that it runs as efficiently as possible.
2. Have your ductwork inspected – A professional HVAC technician can inspect your ductwork for leaks and clean it as well, thereby making sure heat will be able to flow unobstructed throughout your home.
3. Use your ceiling fans – Flip the switch on your ceiling fans to make the blades rotate in the opposite direction. Doing so will allow them to push down warm air that’s rising towards your ceiling, thereby helping to keep your home heated more evenly.
4. Open up your blinds and curtains during the day – Keep your blinds and curtains open during the day to let sunlight in, thereby helping to warm up your home.
5. Close your blinds and curtains during the night – Keeping your blinds and curtains closed at night will keep cold air from penetrating through your windows while also helping to keep warm air trapped inside.
6. Remove clutter from around your furnace – Many people will use the area around the furnace as storage space. Once you begin using your furnace again, you should clear the area around it. Otherwise, you may have a fire hazard on your hand – especially if there are combustible items nearby.
7. Keep the area around your fireplace clear – If you decide to light a fire to make your living room even warmer and cozier, make sure that you don’t have anything flammable nearby, such as furniture, rugs, drapes or holiday trees.
8. Use throw blankets – Add extra blankets to your sofas and guest bedrooms so that you, your family and your guests can warm up without having to crank up the thermostat.
9. Seal your windows – If you feel a cold draft near any of your windows, it means that there are air leaks. You should use a sealant to eliminate these air leaks, thereby preventing cold air from leaking in. A professional can do this for you as well.
10. Change your filters – Make sure you check your furnace filters once a month. If they become too dirty, they will begin to obstruct the air flow. Not only will this compromise the air quality in your home, it will make it more difficult to heat your home properly. It will also cause your energy costs to go up.

These are ten holiday heating tips that you should follow in order to keep your Fenton, MO area home warm, safe and efficient. For all of your heating needs, be sure to contact us at Metro Heating & Cooling today.