How to Maintain Your Heating System During the Holidays

The holiday season is a time for gatherings, cozying up at home, and enjoying the warmth of your heating system. However, with the increased use of your heating system and the influx of guests, the strain on your HVAC system during the holidays can cause unexpected breakdowns or inefficiencies. Proper maintenance during this busy time is crucial to ensure your home stays comfortable and your heating system operates efficiently. In Colorado Springs, where winter temperatures frequently dip below freezing, taking proactive steps to maintain your heating system is essential to prevent discomfort and costly repairs during the holiday season.

Here are some practical tips to help you keep your heating system running smoothly during the holidays, ensuring that your home stays warm and your energy bills remain manageable.

Check and Replace Air Filters

One of the easiest but most important maintenance tasks you can perform is checking and replacing your HVAC system’s air filters. A clean air filter ensures that your heating system runs efficiently, delivering warm air throughout your home without obstruction. Clogged or dirty filters restrict airflow, making your system work harder and increasing energy consumption. With the holidays bringing extra guests and more activity in your home, your filters may become clogged faster than usual.

Why Clean Filters Are Essential:

Improved Efficiency: A clean air filter allows air to flow freely through your HVAC system, improving efficiency and reducing the workload on your furnace.
Lower Energy Bills: When your system runs efficiently, it uses less energy, helping you save on utility bills during the holiday season.
Better Indoor Air Quality: Clean filters trap dust, pet dander, and other airborne particles, keeping your indoor air quality high—important when hosting guests, especially those with allergies or respiratory sensitivities.

To maintain optimal performance, check your air filter every 30 days during the winter months and replace it if it appears dirty. If you have pets or a large number of guests visiting, you may need to change it even more frequently.

Schedule a Professional HVAC Inspection

Scheduling a professional HVAC inspection before the holiday season is one of the best ways to ensure your heating system is prepared for the increased demand. A certified HVAC technician can perform a thorough inspection of your system, identifying any potential issues that could cause a breakdown when you need your furnace the most.

What to Expect During an Inspection:

Thermostat Calibration: The technician will check that your thermostat is properly calibrated and responsive, ensuring that your home maintains a consistent temperature without overworking your furnace.
System Components Check: The technician will inspect key components such as the blower motor, heat exchanger, and ductwork to ensure everything is functioning correctly and safely.
Airflow and Ventilation: Proper airflow is crucial for even heating throughout your home. The technician will check for blockages or leaks in your ducts that could reduce efficiency and lead to uneven temperatures in different rooms.

A pre-holiday inspection ensures that your system is in good working order and helps you avoid emergency repairs during the busiest time of year. In Colorado Springs, where winter temperatures can be unpredictable, having peace of mind that your furnace is reliable is especially important.

Optimize Thermostat Settings

Adjusting your thermostat to reflect your holiday schedule can help you save energy while keeping your home comfortable. With guests visiting or if you’re spending more time at home during the holidays, your heating needs may fluctuate, so it’s essential to adjust your thermostat accordingly.

Thermostat Tips for the Holidays:

Use a Programmable Thermostat: If you have a programmable thermostat, set it to lower the temperature when you’re sleeping or away from home. This helps conserve energy without sacrificing comfort.
Smart Thermostats: Consider upgrading to a smart thermostat, which allows you to control your home’s temperature remotely via smartphone. This is particularly useful if you’re traveling during the holidays and want to ensure your home stays at an efficient temperature while you’re away.
Adjust for Guests: When hosting holiday gatherings, the extra body heat from guests can raise the indoor temperature, allowing you to lower your thermostat slightly without compromising comfort. Lowering the temperature by just a few degrees can result in significant energy savings, especially if you’re hosting large groups.

Optimizing your thermostat settings helps you balance comfort with efficiency, ensuring that your home remains warm while keeping heating costs under control.

Inspect and Clean Vents and Registers

Blocked or dirty vents and registers can lead to uneven heating, making your furnace work harder than necessary. Before the holidays, take the time to inspect all the vents and registers in your home, ensuring they are clean and unobstructed by furniture, curtains, or holiday decorations.

Steps to Clean Vents:

Vacuum Vents: Use a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment to remove dust, dirt, and debris from the vents. This helps improve airflow and reduces the likelihood of allergens being circulated through your home.
Check for Obstructions: Ensure that no furniture, rugs, or decorations are blocking vents or registers, as this can prevent proper heat distribution throughout your home.
Adjust Vents for Even Heating: If certain rooms in your home feel too warm or too cold, adjust the vents to balance the airflow. For example, partially close the vents in rooms that are getting too much heat, and fully open the vents in rooms that feel colder.

By keeping your vents clean and properly adjusted, you’ll help your heating system run more efficiently, ensuring even heat distribution and a comfortable home environment during the holidays.

Seal Air Leaks

Air leaks in your home can cause warm air to escape, forcing your heating system to work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature. Drafts are common in areas like windows, doors, and poorly insulated walls, and sealing these leaks is an important part of maintaining your home’s heating efficiency.

Common Sources of Air Leaks:

Windows and Doors: Check for drafts around windows and doors. Apply weatherstripping or caulking to seal any gaps and prevent warm air from escaping.
Attics and Basements: Insulating attics and basements can help reduce heat loss in these areas, improving the overall efficiency of your HVAC system.
Ductwork: Leaky ductwork can cause significant heat loss. If you suspect leaks in your ducts, consider having them professionally sealed to improve efficiency.

Sealing air leaks not only keeps your home warmer but also helps reduce your heating costs during the holiday season.

Keep Your Outdoor Unit Clear of Debris

If you have a heat pump or an HVAC system with an outdoor unit, it’s important to keep it free of snow, leaves, and other debris during the winter. A blocked outdoor unit can reduce the efficiency of your heating system and cause it to overheat or malfunction.

Maintenance Tips for Outdoor Units:

Clear Snow and Ice: After heavy snowfall, clear any snow or ice that has accumulated on or around your outdoor unit. Use a soft broom or brush to avoid damaging the fins.
Remove Debris: Fallen leaves, twigs, and other debris can obstruct airflow to the outdoor unit. Regularly inspect and clear away any debris that may have gathered around the unit.
Check for Ice Build-Up: If you notice excessive ice build-up on your heat pump, it may indicate a problem with the defrost cycle. Contact a professional HVAC technician to inspect and resolve the issue.

Keeping your outdoor unit clean and free of obstructions ensures that your heating system operates efficiently, even during snowy or icy conditions.

Use Ceiling Fans to Circulate Warm Air

Ceiling fans aren’t just for summer. During the winter months, they can help circulate warm air throughout your home, improving comfort and reducing the strain on your heating system. Most ceiling fans have a switch that allows you to reverse the direction of the blades, causing them to rotate clockwise.

Benefits of Using Ceiling Fans in Winter:

Even Heat Distribution: When the fan rotates clockwise at a low speed, it pushes warm air that has risen to the ceiling back down into the room, helping to maintain a consistent temperature.
Energy Savings: By using ceiling fans to circulate warm air, you can reduce the workload on your furnace and potentially lower your heating bills.

This simple adjustment can make a significant difference in how evenly your home is heated, especially in larger rooms with high ceilings.

Maintaining your heating system during the holidays doesn’t have to be difficult. By following these tips, you can ensure that your HVAC system runs efficiently, keeping your home warm and comfortable throughout the festive season. From simple tasks like changing air filters and cleaning vents to scheduling a professional inspection, proactive maintenance will help you avoid unexpected breakdowns and keep energy costs under control.

Contact Absolute Comfort, Inc. today to schedule your holiday HVAC maintenance. Let our expert technicians help ensure that your heating system is in peak condition, so you can enjoy a warm and stress-free holiday season.