Preparing Your Home and Your HVAC System for Winter: Expert Tips

As winter approaches and bitter colds are set to arrive on your doorstep, it’s an important time to prepare your HVAC system for the season. In many homes, a working HVAC unit is the only thing between residents and months of below-freezing temperatures. Neglecting proper maintenance can lead to system breakdowns and reduced efficiency, both of which lead to more money coming right out of your pocket.

Today, our expert team will provide you with some tips for keeping your heating unit in top shape as the harshest months approach.

Tip 1: Insulate and Seal Your Home

The first things you can do to prepare for the winter don’t even happen at your HVAC unit! Your heating system works hard to warm the cold air that makes it into your home, but keeping that cold air from breaching your walls is an important step we shouldn’t overlook.

Make sure to properly insulate your home and check for drafts. Windows, doors, and the areas around house foundations tend to let cold air in more than other parts of your home. Seal leaks as you discover them; this will lighten the workload for your HVAC in the winter.

Tip 2: Check Your Thermostat Settings and “Get Smart”

Routinely check on your thermostat and adjust the settings to prepare for the winter season. Most people keep their “room temperature” a little lower in the winter than in the summer so it lessens strain on HVAC systems (and energy costs), and there are optimal heating ranges you should try to keep your temperature in.

Many thermostats are programmable to some degree, but smart thermostats can help you in the winter even more. An expert can install them to connect directly to your HVAC unit, and that’s where their wealth of features come into play. An HVAC-connected smart thermostat will provide remote access and control so you can adjust your heating from afar. Let the temperature drop slightly when no one is home, and start the heating again when you’re on your way back, for example, or set the nighttime temperature to be a little different than during the day. 

Smart thermostats also provide energy usage reports to help you monitor energy consumption and cost. It’s important for homeowners to monitor for spikes in usage; those are often the first signs that something has gone awry in an HVAC unit. They will also provide reminders of needed maintenance and alert you if something isn’t working properly in the unit that isn’t visible on the usage reports.

Tip 3: Be Prepared for an Emergency 

Create an emergency plan for keeping warm and safe in the case of a heating failure. First off, keep a list of reliable HVAC service providers for quick access—head to our contact page and stick our phone number on your fridge! After any emergency calls (make sure your family is safe and call 911 if they’re not), we should be your first call if your HVAC needs fixing.

Your plan should include an alternate means of staying warm during the time between the emergency and when our team can make our way to your HVAC system and get up and running again. If you have a wood stove or fireplace that can keep you warm, ensure that the airways are clear and not clogged and are properly cleaned before you burn wood there. Space heaters can make a small part of your home more comfortable for a short time if you still have power; just be careful using those as they sometimes come with fire risks (follow the instructions on your heater carefully!).

If you don’t have any of these, make sure there’s a place your family knows they can go to seek shelter and heat if your home is temporarily without working heat.

Tip 4: Schedule a Professional Inspection 

Of course, the best course of action is to make it unlikely your HVAC unit will break down at all! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as the saying goes.

A qualified technician, like those on our team, inspecting your system is the most reliable way to understand what your HVAC will need for future servicing, and if work needs to be done immediately to improve efficiency or lessen the chances of a breakdown. A professional inspection will include a review of the unit itself and its connections, a check of ducts and filters, as well as a report on overall system health. Catching issues early before a major breakdown happens not only keeps you from having to suffer through a period of time without working heat but also saves you money; emergency repairs tend to be far more expensive than proactive servicing and preventative fixes.

Tip 5: Perform Routine Maintenance (For the Things You Can Do!)

There are some simple things you can do on your end to help prepare your HVAC unit for the winter months! First, be sure to regularly replace the air filters in your system. Filters are readily available at hardware and department stores like Lowe’s and Target and are simple to install.

Ensure that the vents and registers on the unit and around your house are clear, and remove any dust, dirt, or pet hair that might be partially blocking any. Don’t forget to check the outdoor vents, too; air needs to go in and out of the system and your home, after all!  And while you’re outside checking vents, keep the outdoor unit clean and free of leaf and weather debris.

A clean system allows for air to flow through uninterrupted, reducing the amount of energy needed to operate the HVAC unit and heat to your desired temperature. And a more efficient unit means cheaper utility bills (and fewer calls to HVAC experts to get your system back in fine running order!).

Tip 6: Bring in the Experts (For the Things You Can’t Do!)

That said, sometimes you simply need to bring in a seasoned hand to get your home ready for the harsh winter ahead. There’s a lot more going on inside your HVAC unit besides the vents and filters, after all! If you’re hearing strange noises that your unit didn’t make before, it’s making an odd smell, or it’s just not getting the job done as it used to, call us immediately. We’ll be there to assess the problem and provide you with options for proper remediation.

Over time, heating and air units become less efficient, especially if they are not properly maintained. An inefficient system uses more energy to cool down a room than a newly installed or serviced unit. Each bit of efficiency you can get back is money you’ll save over time, and expert care can significantly extend the lifespan of your heating system.

Contact us with any questions or to set up an inspection, establish a routine maintenance call, or book an efficiency tune-up for your HVAC unit. We want to help your family have a cozy, warm, and stress-free winter season, and our team of HVAC experts is ready to assess your heating needs! Call us today!