Last year, we found ourselves experiencing a very cold polar vortex. We live in an area that typically doesn’t experience this type of extreme freezing weather so our heating systems in our homes may have trouble keeping up. If you have a newer home even the furnace can likely struggle to maintain temperature. Older homes will find it more difficult to maintain the temperature and the temperature will likely drop while the heating system is working at full capacity.

So what can you do to keep your home comfortable this winter? Below are a few tips outlining how to prepare for a winter storm and help keep your home more comfortable during extremely cold temperatures:

• Raise the temperature in your home 2 to 4 degrees above your normal setting.
• During the frigid times take all programmable thermostats out of setback mode and set on a permanent HOLD around 70 degrees.
• If you have a furnace, make sure to replace the furnace filter if you haven’t yet.
• Keep garage doors closed.
• Limit opening exterior doors.
• Close your window drapes and blinds.
•  Make sure air vents and radiators are not blocked or obstructed; according to Angie’s list closing vents can waste energy.
• If you have a fireplace without glass doors, don’t use it during extreme cold since most of the heat goes up the chimney.

If the temperature in your home is dropping and your boiler system radiators are hot, or you have hot air coming out of your vents with furnaces, there is no need to worry. Your furnace is doing all it can. Make sure that your heating system continues to operate.

Remember, if the temperature drops in your home, the furnace may not be able to recover until temperatures rise and the wind-chill diminishes. Put your thermostat on hold 70 degrees or higher so the furnace does not strain to catch up.

What are some other ways you can minimize Temperature Loss in your Home?

To help minimize temperature loss you can boil water, make soup, or stews; they help introduce humidity and warmer temperatures into your home. 

Do not use your oven or a grill to heat your home.

If you’re going out of town, leave your heater running, but at a lower temperature than you’d normally keep the thermostat. You can set the thermostat between 65 and 70 degrees. This ensures your house stays warm enough that you don’t have to worry about frozen pipes. Also, have a neighbor check your home daily, until you return. During extremely cold weather, your furnace can become strained and malfunction. Your neighbor can watch for signs of furnace distress, and warn you of the rising issue.

Stay tuned for next week to see some energy saving tips for Winter from your friends here at Coulee Property Solutions!