Central Iowans and residents all throughout the Midwest will be experiencing some of the coldest weather that we have had in the past 50 years. Over the course of these next two days, air temperatures in Des Moines are expected to get as low as -25 degrees with wind chill temperatures as low as -50 degrees. To put it simply, common houses are not built to withstand these sort of brutal temperatures that we are about to endure. Here are some things to consider to keep your home both warm and safe over these next couple of days.
Cold Weather And Your Home’s Age
Even though we are used to dealing harsh weather in the winter, these next couple of days are an exception. One of the most important factors in keeping your home warm is dependent on how well insulated it is. Older homes are generally going to be less optimized for insulation due to the fact that the house structure is going to have more cracks, openings, and inefficiencies. However, we expect that furnaces in homes of all ages, even newer ones, will struggle to keep up over these next couple of days.
Setting Your Thermostat Properly
It is especially important that you set your thermostat properly over these next couple of days to protect your house. In an effort to reduce energy bills and save money, many homeowners have their thermostats set to an automated schedule that turns down the furnace temperature when they are not home and at night. While this is generally the right thing to do, homeowners are going to need to adjust this scheduling over these next couple of days. To minimize the temperature drop in your home, here is what you will need to do:
- If you have a programmable thermostat, turn off setback mode and set it to a permanent HOLD.
- Your HVAC unit is going to be working overtime to keep your house warm. Because of how cold the weather is going to be, turn up your average house temperature by 4-5 degrees.
- Do not have your thermostat temperature drop below 65 degrees. Setting the temperature higher will equip your furnace
- If your programmable thermostat is acting up, call Wyckoff Heating & Cooling immediately. We will have technicians on hand to help anybody in need.
Optimize Your Home For Furnace Efficiency
Since your furnace, boiler, or radiator system will be running at full capacity over the next couple of days, there are a handful of things you can do to reduce its load work.
- Keep exterior doors closed as often as possible.
- Leave the garage door closed, open it as little as needed. This is especially true for split-level homes, which are generally less energy efficient.
- Make sure no air vents are blocked or obstructed.
- Open up your window blinds. Utilizing solar warmth as much as you can will be beneficial for the sake of your furnace.
Look Out For Your Neighbors
When weather conditions like this come along, it’s up to us as citizens and community members to make sure our friends, family, and neighbors are all safe and accounted for. If you have neighbors that are elderly residents, please take a moment to make sure that they are in good hands to stay warm. If you are planning on traveling over these next couple of days, keep you car loaded with extra clothing, blankets, a shovel, flashlight, jumper cables, first aid kit, and non-perishable snacks. Make sure you have enough gas where your car can run for awhile in the event that there is an accident or weather conditions force you to remain stationary.
Contact Wyckoff For Furnace Repair And Service
We hope that your thermostat and furnace unit have no issues while this arctic blast blows through. However, do no hesitate to contact us with any emergency furnace repair services that you might need. Our certified technicians will be on-call and available to help central Iowa residents. There is a chance that we are very busy over these next 48 hours. We will do our best to help anybody that we can but please bare with us if we are overloaded with work. Stay safe out there!