When the drop in temperatures signals winter’s arrival, you never feel happier to have a warm, toasty furnace to go home to. However, like all household conveniences, a furnace has to be maintained properly in order to be useful. If you don’t take care of it, it may put out insufficient heat or break down in the middle of a freezing-cold night. If you want to avoid being cold in your home this winter, here are five tips that can help you stay warm.

Clean Your Ducts

Your furnace’s heating ducts can get very dirty with regular use, so most experts recommend that you have them cleaned once per year. A company will come to your home, and using highly specialized equipment, they’ll suck all of the dust and debris out of your heating ducts. This doesn’t just mean that you get to enjoy more efficient heat delivery. It can also help combat those bothersome winter indoor allergies.

In Hot Water

It may feel great in the scorching summer heat, but nobody likes a lukewarm shower in the winter. If you wish that hot bath was just a little bit hotter, consider turning up your water heater’s thermostat by a few degrees. The extra warm water is just the thing to help you thaw out when you get home from work.

Change The Filters

If you have central heating, you can be sure that your furnace has air filters in it. These filters help clean the air that gets recirculated back into your home, so they tend to become clogged over time. It’s important to change your furnace filters once every three months, or as often as your furnace manufacturer recommends. If they become clogged, heat delivery throughout your home may be poor, and your allergies may become worse.

Don’t Block Vents

Does it seem like one room in your home isn’t getting any warmer, but the rest of your house is? If so, you may have something blocking the airflow from the heating vent. If your vents are on the floor or along a wall, make sure you don’t have any couches, desks or other large furniture over or in front of them.

Get a Furnace Inspection

Right before it’s time to start running your furnace for the season, it’s recommended to hire someone to inspect it. A qualified heating technician can look your furnace over to see if there are any current or impending issues, as well as give you furnace repair tips and information. Furthermore, this can help you get the problem fixed before winter’s full force bears down. Sunset Heating and Cooling talks more about what to look for here.

Following these tips can mean the difference between wasting money and energy on ineffective methods of heating your house this winter or saving money and staying warm! This winter doesn’t have to be a cold one, all you have to do is be wise about your heating tools.