What if the happiest time of the year was completely ruined for your family?
For many families, the winter months signal a time of holidays, family, and fellowship. And there is nothing like gathering together in a warm house on a cold day. Unless, of course, the house isn’t warm at all!
If you don’t take the right maintenance precautions, you may be frozen out of your own home. Keep reading to discover our best winter HVAC maintenance tips to keep everyone warm and happy!
1. Clean It Regularly
Fortunately, winter HVAC maintenance comes down to a few easy steps. And the most important step is to keep your HVAC unit clean.
Mostly, this means checking the air filters and replacing them regularly. Otherwise, dirt and debris will build up and hurt the performance of your HVAC system, all while shortening its operational lifespan.
2. Covering the Condenser
During the winter, your air conditioner’s condenser is particularly vulnerable. By covering it up, you can better protect it during the colder months.
A winter cover is specially designed to keep winter’s worst elements at bay. This includes wind, rain, and snow.
This is likely the most cost-effective winter HVAC maintenance available!
3. Check Insulation
If you have an attic, you probably use it the most around winter to hide Christmas presents or dig out old family photos. While you’re up there, though, ask yourself: is this area properly insulated?
If your attic isn’t insulated, or if the insulation is old and worn out, you are effectively making your HVAC work a lot harder than it has to. Installing better insulation in your attic will ultimately keep you warmer while lowering your energy bill, and that’s a great combination!
4. Get a Programmable Thermostat
When you want to keep winter costs down, you probably don’t want to make additional purchases. But a programmable thermostat is one of those purchases that will soon pay for itself and then some.
In addition to letting you adjust the temperature via your smartphone, a programmable thermostat allows you to program different temperature settings at different times. For example, you can keep the temperature cool while you are at work and have your house warm up about 30 minutes before you get home.
When done right, a programmable thermostat keeps your house at the perfect temperature while lowering your bill.
5. Professional Inspection
We’ve covered some of the main items you can inspect and handle on your own. The truth is that many things could be wrong with your system that only an HVAC professional would notice.
That’s why our final winter HVAC preparation tip is to have your unit professionally inspected. A specialist will be able to notice any problems and make recommendations about what to do. And the specialist can also help you decide between repairing or outright replacing an old, out-of-date unit.
Winter HVAC Maintenance: Your Next Move
Now you know our top winter HVAC maintenance tips. But do you know who can help with all your heating and cooling needs?
At JDC Heating & Cooling, we specialize in keeping Pittsburgh comfortable. To see what we can do for you and your family or organization, just contact us today!