There's no such thing as a gentle season here in the Greater Kansas City area. Sure, we have nice days, especially in the spring and fall, but once cold weather sets in, the temperatures drop and precipitation starts to fall. It's like Old Man Winter gets a pop-up notification around this time every year, and just like clockwork, the temperatures in the Kansas City area have already started to drop into the 50s and 60s. We may be enjoying a break from the heat for now, but we're probably also noticing how chilly the house can be first thing in the morning, which means we should also be contemplating that annual heating system tune-up from an Olathe HVAC professional before we turn the furnace on full blast.
When cold weather does settle in, it really takes a toll on the home and everyone who lives in it, sometimes in ways that we may not even realize. Cold seeps in, after all, making rooms and especially floors chilly. Cold weather puts a greater strain on your water heater, as you take warmer baths and showers when the weather cools down. If we use fireplaces, we can create uneven heating for certain areas of the home, which may make our furnace work harder or more intermittently than usual. With the weather outside turning frightful, we're more likely to notice drafts and cold spots around our doors and windows, leading us to replace seals or, in some cases, the windows and doors themselves. The gas bill goes up, the electric bill goes up. We have to consider the possibility of freezing pipes. Cold weather affects our lives and our homes in a lot of ways, but fortunately, your Olathe heating and cooling professional can help you to make the most of even the coldest winter days.
Cold Weather Heating and Furnace Use
It's a good idea to get an HVAC tune-up before the season shifts each year, whether you're changing from furnace to A/C in the spring or from A/C to heat in the fall. If you haven't already had your furnace checked out by an Olathe heating and cooling professional this year, there's no time like the present! An Olathe HVAC tune-up will include new filters, as well as checking out all the parts of your furnace to make sure that they're up to snuff. But there are other things that you can do to help get the most out of your furnace this winter, including ensuring that the filters are changed regularly and adjusting the dampers to push warm air into different areas of the house. If you have a humidifier, now is also a good time to adjust its settings and replace the filter.
A Few Tips on Space Heaters in the Home
For many people, portable space heaters seem like a great way to heat just the room that you're using, while saving energy by keeping the rest of the house cooler. Of course, portable space heaters come with their own limitations and dangers. For maximum effectiveness and safety, a space heater needs to be unobstructed. Keep any space heater at least three feet from walls, furniture, or pretty much anything else. This not only lets it run efficiently, but also reduces the risk of fires.
Space heaters are a particular concern in homes that contain pets or small children who may not know to avoid touching or getting too close to the heater. Regardless of whether you have small kids, fluffy pets, or live alone, it's never a good idea to leave a space heater unattended, and it is always a good idea to have a few fully charged fire extinguishers around the house, just in case.
Still Chilly? Attack the Drafts!
Drafty doors and windows or poor insulation can siphon money from your utility bills all year round, but they're so much more noticeable when the weather starts to get cold. Cold spots anywhere in your house may seem like stubborn phantoms, but the best way to bust those ghosts is to do some work around the house installing new insulation or shoring up or replacing drafty doors and windows.
If you've noticed fluctuating temperatures in your home or just have trouble keeping certain rooms warm even when you have the furnace turned up, there are a few tips you can try. Check the flue on your chimney and make sure that it's closed to avoid letting in cold air when you're not using the fireplace. Keep windows and doors closed, and if you notice cold spots around them, either use caulk or weather stripping to seal leaks or have them replaced with new, more energy-efficient windows and doors.
Upgrading Your Heating System
When it comes to heating (and cooling) in Olathe, if you want the best results, you need to use the best tools for the job. That may mean updating your Olathe heating system, especially if your furnace is more than a few years old. For some people, that may mean an entire furnace replacement, but others can see big improvements from simple things like digital thermostats, electronic air filters, and other add-ons.
Here at Davenport Service Company, we're big fans of NEST learning thermostats, and we're proud to be a NEST-authorized installer in Olathe. Even if you don't want to invest in a new thermostat, though, you can save yourself a few bucks by turning your thermostat down just a few degrees, especially when you are at work or asleep. Every degree that you can lower your thermostat may save you as much as 2% on your heating bill, and will you really notice if it's 74 degrees in your house instead of 75? Just make sure that your home stays above 55 degrees in the winter to avoid problems such as freezing pipes.
Get Help from Your Olathe Heating System Professional
The best way to get the most out of your Olathe heating and cooling system—whether it's in the winter or the summer—is to get a little help from your friendly neighborhood Olathe heating and cooling professional. At Davenport Service Company, we're very happy to help our customers with whatever their heating and cooling needs may be, and we love adding new members to our VIP Program, which offers seasonal HVAC tune-ups, same-day service at reduced rates, and discounts on repair and equipment replacement, to name just a few! So, if you would like to become a Davenport VIP or just learn more about Olathe heating and cooling this winter, give us a call at 913-441-2222 today!
