our opinions: ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT
In The
Comfort
Zone
Baby, it’s cold outside —
How to keep your home and family
comfortable this winter
92
Brett Hobson
We’ve had a really cold start to 2018 and many people
are looking for ways to make their homes more comfort-
able until spring comes. Hopefully, you’ve done the
basics, insulated, installed weather stripping around doors,
and closed curtains at night to keep out drafts. Here’s
some other hints to help you make your home more
comfortable this winter. ria in hospital rooms by 97%. Installing a UV system has
many benefits, including controlling mold and bacteria,
reducing colds and flus, since germs are not re-circulated
by your HVAC system, reduces smells and odors and
reduces clogs in condensation lines by preventing algae
growth. Because your coils stay cleaner, it also helps make
your system more efficient, reducing electricity costs.
Space heaters
If your central heating system is working at its peak effi-
ciency, you shouldn’t need space heaters. But if you do,
buy smart. When I looked online at one of our local big
box hardware stores, there were a myriad of choices
when it comes to space heaters, varying in price from less
than $13 to almost $450. Although the prices were very
different, they all plug into the same outlets in your home
that are a maximum of 1,500 watts. All of them are going
to create the same number of BTUs, 3.4 per watt, no
matter what they cost. System checkups
It’s never too late to have your system checked to make
sure it is running at maximum efficiency. Just like your
car that you take in for an oil change every 5,000 miles,
your HVAC system needs the same attention to make it
last longer. Some other benefits are lowering your energy
bills, causing fewer repairs since it would catch minor
problems before they become major and expensive. It also
lessens the chance of a complete system breakdown since
problems are taken care of. A checkup can diagnose any
problems that would cause your system to be unsafe and
endanger your home and family.
Humidifiers
Right now, with the dry weather that we’re having, it’s
like the Sahara Desert in your home. Even if it’s raining
outside and it’s 40 degrees, when you bring the moist air
in and warm it up to 75 degrees, it lessens the humid-
ity from 100% to about 30%. The dry air in your home
during the wintertime is hard on wood furnishings, house
plants and even on your skin. A system humidifier added
to your central HVAC system can make a huge difference
in the comfort level of your home and it only uses about
20 gallons of water a day.
UV Systems
The flu has hit epidemic levels and no one seems to be
immune to its effects. Adding a UV system to your central
heating system can kill viruses and other allergens and can
help keep your family healthier during the winter months.
Ultraviolet lights have been widely adapted for all kinds of
uses: sterilizing hospitals, sterilizing water, and in germi-
cidal lamps in food establishments. Research backs up the
effectiveness of UV lights in killing bacteria. In a Duke
University study, UV lights reduced the number of bacte-
Carbon Monoxide
I can’t stress the importance of installing a carbon monox-
ide detector if you have a gas heating system. Carbon
monoxide is colorless, odorless and can kill you if it builds
up in your home. You wouldn’t think about going without
smoke detectors. Carbon monoxide detectors are just as
important to keep your family safe.
Changing Filters
It’s just as important to regularly change filters in the
wintertime as it is in the summer. Filters catch allergens
and dust that negatively impacts your indoor air qual-
ity. They also provide a first line of defense against larger
objects such as bits of loose insulation being pulled into
the system where they could cause damage or present a
fire risk. Clogged air filters are the number one cause of
HVAC system failure.
It just takes a little extra effort to help keep your family
warm and comfortable during the cold winter days. And
as of Feb. 1, it’s only 48 days until spring. Keep warm,
everyone!