Well, after a slow start, winter has hit Long Island hard the last few weeks – but chances are you heating equipment has kept up with the challenge by working equally hard to keep your family safe and warm.

That hard work is all well and good – after all, keeping you warm is your furnace or boiler’s job. But sometimes your heating equipment works a little too hard – and when it does, you might find yourself in need of an unexpected heating equipment repair.

Your best bet to avoid that scenario, of course, is to take some of the burden off your heating equipment before it’s too late. Here are eight of the best ways to do that.

1. Let the sun in – Leave your curtains and blinds open during the day to absorb supplemental heat from the sun, then close them at night to keep that heat in. Choosing better window treatments can help, too.
2. Keep warm air flowing – Unblock vents and baseboards to make sure the air you paid to heat gets into your living space to keep you warm. Be especially aware of any curtains or furniture that could be getting in the way.
3. Seal air leaks – Inexpensive measures like caulk, weather stripping, and doorsweeps will keep the cold air out and the warm air in; the more air tight your home is, the less hard your heating equipment will have to work to maintain comfortable temps.
4. Check your furnace air filter regularly – A clogged furnace air filter is one of the main culprits for heating system overwork; check it once a month and clean or change it when needed.
5. Add insulation – Most homes in our North Fork or East End service area are under-insulated – especially when you consider that insulation deteriorates over the years; that shortfall can lead to you losing 15 percent or more of your heated air through your attic, walls, floors, and crawl spaces. What makes up that 15 percent deficit? Your heating equipment. Aim for installing insulation to meet R-Value recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy, especially in your attic and crawl spaces.
6. Add rugs or carpet – Adding fabric to cold surface areas, such as tile or hardwood floors, can help keep heat from escaping through your floor.
7. Use your programmable thermostat – Turning down your thermostat while you’re sleeping or out of the house could give your heating system a breather for eight hours or more every day; it will also reduce your annual heating bill by as much as 10 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (D.O.E.). The easiest way to make that kind of adjustment? Use a programmable thermostat.
8. Service your heating equipment – Periodic professional maintenance is one of the keys to preventing wear and tear on your heating equipment; a skilled technician will locate small issues before they balloon into big problems – like an unexpected heating system breakdown, for example.

Think it’s too late for heating system maintenance? Think again! With temperatures in Eastern Long Island dipping into the mid-40s well into May, you will be relying on your heating system for a while longer. Why not prevent late-heating season problems by scheduling a service call from the pros at Burt’s Reliable today?