You may have been fooled with the unusually warm October that Milwaukee has been experiencing, but fall is really here. Temperatures are starting to fall below freezing at night, and it looks like November will bring back our typical weather. That means that it’s time to make sure your furnace is ready for the winter. You want it running at peak efficiency to keep your heating costs as low as possible. The heating and cooling system in your house accounts for as much as half of the energy used in your home. So an annual servicing of your furnace makes sense. There are some simple things you can do, too.

Thermostat

Your thermostats should have fresh batteries going into the winter. And if you have the programmable kind, you should think about your family’s needs, and program the thermostat accordingly. It’s silly to heat the house at the normal level when no one is there; have the heat increase about a half hour before people arrive, and it will be toasty warm for you. If you have worries about programming your thermostat, the experts at Quality Heating can talk you through it. Your thermostat may need re-calibration, too. That’s something that we will do when we come to service your furnace.

Filters

All the filters should be changed as well. Clogged filters can cause your furnace to work harder to heat your home, so having clean filters increases your furnace’s efficiency. If you’re comfortable changing the filters with your system, you should definitely be careful about getting the correct filters for your brand and model. If you have the professionals at Quality Heating come to service your furnace, we will automatically change the filters.

Professional Servicing – Inspection

At Quality Heating, we’ll do a visual inspection of the whole system and test all components. We will measure air flow and temperatures. These measures help us find any leaks in the system; if we find any, we will deal with them immediately. We monitor flue draft and refrigerant pressure as well.

Professional Servicing – Cleaning, Calibrating, and Lubricating

A clean furnace runs properly and efficiently. Quality Heating professionals will spend time cleaning all furnace components. We will change all the filters. We will calibrate the thermostat to ensure that it genuinely heats to the temperature it’s set to, not above it or below it. We will lubricate all parts that move. Naturally, if we encounter any problems (or potential problems) we will fix them.

The US Department of Energy agrees that for “all heating and cooling systems, proper maintenance is key to efficient operation. The difference between the energy consumption of a well-maintained heat pump and a severely neglected one ranges from 10% to 25%.” Now that winter is just about here, it’s time to prepare your furnace for the season. Call the experts at Quality Heating to do a professional servicing of your furnace. Keep your heating costs as low as possible while keeping your family warm and comfortable.