.2010141001550.jpg)
The autumn season is officially upon us and with it come all of the charming aspects, including pumpkin spice lattes, cozy sweaters, nights in front of the fireplace with warm cups of tea! But the change in seasons will also tack a few additional tasks onto your to-do list. Keep reading for our must tackle projects that we recommend you take care of before the temperatures really begin to drop.
Autumn Heating Maintenance
First thing’s first. Make sure your home is ready to keep you warm and cozy all throughout the fall, winter, and early spring months. How do you do this? IT’s easy! Schedule your fall maintenance on your heating unit. We highly recommend getting your heating and cooling unit inspected, maintained, and, if needed, repaired twice a year. It’s best to have this done in the “in-between” seasons of fall and spring, right before you’ll need to rely on these machines the most to keep you comfortable.
There are a lot of benefits to investing in seasonal maintenance, the most important include:
Lower utility bills. A heating unit that doesn’t get regular maintenance tends to function less efficiently, which means it needs to run longer in order to get your home to the desired temperature. A unit that runs longer uses more energy, causing your bills to spike.
Less expensive repairs. When we come out for your seasonal maintenance, we’ll also inspect your unit for any current problems and potential ones. The sooner we spot a problem, the easier it is to fix and much less expensive as well.
A decrease in allergens. One of the most important aspects of maintenance is changing out air filters. Your air filters catch airborne pathogens before they float through your air ducts and into the rest of your home. The more clogged your filters are, the harder your unit has to work to push air through.
Check Insulation
When was the last time you checked on the insulation in your home? It’s probably not at the top of your mind when you clean or inspect the area, but maybe it should be. Your heater works incredibly hard to pump out warm air to battle the cold Idaho temperatures, don’t let all of that heat slip through your walls.
The roof of your home is responsible for about 25 percent of heat loss, resulting in hundreds of dollars of wasted energy.
Your walls are responsible for another 30 to 40 percent of heat loss.
And finally, your windows and doors are responsible for about 20 percent of heat loss.
That’s a lot of hot air and wasted energy slipping through. However, if you add insulation or thicken existing insulation, your home will hold your temperature-controlled air much more effectively and efficiently.
Seal Windows and Doors
We briefly touched on this in the above section, but did you know that your windows and doors are responsible for about 20 percent of your home’s heat loss? Unfortunately, the solution for this is not just adding more insulation, but it’s not too complicated. All you’ll need is some weatherproof caulking to seal those gaps up, and your problem should be solved!
We recommend tackling these projects now before the temperatures drop into the forties and don’t come back up until months later. There’s not much worse than dealing with a broken heater in the middle of a cold spell!
For all of your home heating questions, contact our team of friendly experts at Carter Comfort Systems. You can reach us by phone at (208) 739-4181 or by visiting our website. We understand the importance of staying warm and cozy at home and would be happy to help solve your home heating dilemma!