Your desired temperature level should always be achieved with ease. Over time without maintenance, however, the performance of your system will gradually degrade, leaving you with higher energy bills and potential discomfort from lack of heat throughout your home.
To avoid this, we at Huber Heights Heating & Cooling composed the following “Winter HVAC Maintenance Guide” for you and your Montgomery County home.
1. Change Your Air Filter
If your air filter gets dirty or clogged up, it’s going to make your furnace work harder than it needs to. For this reason, regularly changing your air filter will extend your furnace’s life and reduce energy bills while improving the air quality inside your home.
During the winter, you should be checking your air filter every month as it should be changed at least every 90 days.
2. Clean Around Your Air Vents
Maintain a clean home by vacuuming regularly. However, include your air vents every time you do so. Including your air vents when you vacuum helps to prevent blockages and avoid indoor air quality issues. It will also help you sustain a reasonable temperature level everywhere in your home. On the other hand, if the job is too big for your vacuum, having a professional do the job will go a long way.
Having your vents and air ducts professionally cleaned will promote air quality and maintain a home free of airborne particles. This, in turn, enhances energy efficiency because debris dust particles restrict the flow of air to and from the elements of your HVAC system.
3. Insulation Enhancement
For some, insulation may not seem as if it’s a crucial component of your home’s HVAC system. In reality, however, it plays an indispensable function in your furnace’s overall efficiency. Have a look at the insulation in your home’s attic and ensure you have a sufficient amount. If you’re uncertain about whether you have enough insulation in your home, call one of our trusted HVAC technicians. Have us come out and check it for expert advice.
4. Take a Look At Your Thermostat
Does your thermostat have new batteries? Do you have it set in accordance to your winter comfort requirement? Check it out!
To save on energy, we propose placing your thermostat at a somewhat lower temperature throughout the night, and when you’re away at your job or on vacation. Then, when you’re home, turn it back up. To avoid all that, winter is an excellent time to consider upgrading to a programmable thermostat if you don’t have one already. A programmable thermostat will help you maintain your preferred levels throughout each day, all winter long.
5. Cover Your Exterior AC Unit
Once the weather begins to cool, and you feel confident you won’t need it anymore, covering up your outside AC is essential for protecting the unit from the elements while keeping the cold air out. You should be able to get a high quality, reasonably-priced outdoor AC unit cover at one of your local hardware stores. It will go a long way in preserving the AC against all the ice, snow, and debris buildup of a long Montgomery County winter.
6. Schedule an Inspection
If you take one thing from this Winter HVAC Maintenance Guide, we hope it’d be this last suggestion.
Each and every year, you need to schedule an annual inspection/tune-up. If you haven’t had a professional come out and perform this vital bit of maintenance yet, now is the time to do so! As part of a heating system tune-up, one of our HVAC specialists will come out to your home and examine your heating system. Among a whole list of things, we will find any signs of wear and tear that requires attention. An inspection will also incorporate cleaning, repairing, lubricating, and other optimizing services so the furnace will run at its best for a long time.
If you haven’t had an inspection yet, please give Huber Heights Heating & Cooling a call today at 937-226-9675, or schedule an appointment now at www.huberheightsheatingandcooling.com/schedule-now/.
