Elgin weather can be rough. Not to mention our winters, where we see an average of over 30 inches of snow and 3 months of daily temperatures below freezing each year. This weather means that you rely on your furnace quite a bit for your comfort, to no surprise of Elgin locals!
While none of this is news to you, what you might find interesting is that there are several things you can do to help prepare your furnace for all manner of weather conditions, especially as the winter chill rolls through our area. We want to help you stay nice and cozy, so read on to learn what we have to say!
Happy Furnace, Cozy Home
Keeping your furnace operating like it was designed to do should be at the top of your list when it comes to prepping your home for cold weather and winter storms. While other factors certainly contribute to your comfort, having heat in your home is perhaps the most important aspect of not just enjoying the winter weather, but staying safe as well. Frozen pipes are just one of the many issues you can run into if your furnace isn’t working the way it should. So, what can you do to get the most out of your furnace and prepare it for the weather each year?
Schedule Maintenance!
We’ve said it many times before, because it’s true! Scheduling your professional furnace maintenance each year is the single most important thing you can do to prepare your home to be safe, warm, and cozy during the chilly Elgin weather. It’s cost-effective to boot! In having our expert technicians give your furnace a detailed cleaning and inspection, you get a wide range of benefits as well as peace of mind. We can reduce your monthly energy costs, prevent unexpected repairs and breakdowns, improve your air quality, and even optimize performance. Even if your furnace seems to be running just fine, make a wise decision and schedule that tune-up. Your furnace will thank you.
Prep Your Thermostat
Your thermostat is the brains of the operation. While it doesn’t look like much, this fancy little device is in charge of telling your furnace what to do and when to do it. You’d be surprised how many people forget to incorporate their thermostat into their winter prep. All you really need to do is make sure the thermostat is set to the “heat” function. If you have a programmable thermostat, you can adjust your heating schedule to the needs of your home. If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, it’s always a good time to ask us about having one installed! Programmable thermostats can help you save on your energy costs and automate the heating in your home, a big plus when you have plenty of things you’d rather be doing with your time (like eating some pumpkin pie!).
Get Your Home Ready, Too!
Your furnace does the heavy lifting in keeping your home nice and toasty, but there are lots of simple things you can do around the house to help it out. It may sound trivial, but keeping your garage door closed can help trap in the heat. You can also do your best to avoid opening windows and doors as much as possible. One other really easy thing to do is make sure your ceiling fans are spinning the right way. Did you know you can adjust which direction your ceiling fan is spinning? By switching your fans to low speed and having them spin counterclockwise, you will generate an updraft. This will push warm air trapped towards the ceilings back down and around the room, making it feel noticeably more comfortable.
Professional HVAC Help When You Need it
Extreme weather can strike at any time of year in Elgin and the Fox Valley. Make sure your HVAC system is ready for anything by protecting it today. Need help? Here at Leith Heating & Cooling, our professional and experienced technicians are on hand to assist you so that you can look forward to dependable heating and cooling all year round. Get in touch with our team today!
