When it starts to get chilly outside, it can be all-too easy to brush it off. I mean, in a place like New York, we’re pretty used to the cold, right? To put it lightly, the winter breeze isn’t likely to scare us off.
However, the same can’t necessarily be said for our homes – most notably, vital systems that keep our indoors nice and toasty even when it’s below freezing outside. Honestly, I didn’t really think much of my heating system growing up. What kid has reason to, right, outside of wishing out parents would turn the heat up (or down) just a little bit more?
Once I became a homeowner, though, I started to realize all of the intricacies that go with having property up here in the north. In some ways, snow is the least of our worries – the temperature is the big concern. It can really wreak some havoc on our houses, although that might sound kind of weird. If you don’t know anything about that, you may want to check out this resource before you continue here!
Heating: Why it’s Such a Big Deal
Now, this might seem kind of obvious to point out, but heating our homes is pretty important. In the winter especially (although the cold often creeps into spring as well, up here), it can make living quite uncomfortable. No one really likes to be cold, after all, even if they say they do.
What most of us mean when we say we prefer the cold is that we like being able to snuggle up under a ton of blankets – not that we want to be shivering our butts off all the time. So, there’s the comfort factor at play.
Beyond that, though, there are safety risks too. For one thing, people who have certain pre-existing conditions that affect their lungs (like asthma) tend to have a much harder time breathing when the air is freezing. Additionally, when it’s under thirty-two Fahrenheit for long enough, it could lead to frostbite.
Of course, that is really hard to make happen indoors, even if your heating system or furnace is broken. However, I do think it’s worth pointing out, seeing as if you let things go long enough, it is a real possibility. The message here is to try to catch malfunctions before they cause serious issues.
Inspection and Repair
Luckily, it’s not too hard to find a heating & air conditioning contractor in New York even in the dead of winter. Especially in Queens, you can often find emergency support even in the dead of night if something is really wrong with your unit. So, getting repairs isn’t usually that huge of an issue.
Cost is something to consider, of course. The worse the damage is to your furnace, the more you may have to pay to get it fixed. Additionally, twenty-four-hour repair services do tend to come with some additional fees, so just be aware of that.
Obviously, though, the price is going to be worth it to keep yourself and your family warm this season. There seems to be an influx of cold air blowing in from the Great Lakes this year, so it’s really important to get this sort of stuff sorted out as soon as you can. One way to reduce emergencies, though, is to get yearly inspections done on your unit.
I know – it can be a real pain to have to schedule all of that and keep the room where the furnace is empty while the contractor is there. However, trust me when I say it’ll pay off in the long-term. Inspections don’t cost nearly as much as emergency repairs, after all, and they are definitely more affordable than needing an entire new unit.
What if You Need a New Unit, then?
As you can see here, https://www.ehow.com/info_12289076_winter-damage-unheated-house.html, sometimes the damage is just going to be too much, or your HVAC system will be too old to keep going sustainably. All that means is that you’ll need to have a new unit installed, which can be a bit costly, but it’s worth it.
Beyond just keeping your house warm so that you don’t all freeze inside, it can also help with overall air quality. After all, the “v” in HVAC stands for ventilation, and that plays a huge role in terms of the air in your home. Filtering it out properly is a big deal, even if it may not seem like it. It can also help to keep any unwelcome moisture out of cramped spaces, reducing your chance of ending up with a mold issue.
Honestly, though, if you do end up needing a new unit, you may want to source it locally. Check out the contractors that are in your area. Smaller businesses tend to offer better customer service, for one thing, and you’ll know that they’ll be around to offer those annual inspections when it really counts. No more wishy-washy corporate stooges, right?
Of course, that’s just some food for thought. At the end of the day, you should work with the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning contractor that you trust. There are tons to choose from, so you can even go to the internet to check out reviews from your fellow customers to see which will offer the right expertise as well as the best bang for your buck!