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Cunningham Associates
Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc.

Category Archives: Winter Tips

The Benefits New Heating Installation Could Provide You With This Winter

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By now there have been enough cold days this season that you likely have a good idea as to whether or not your furnace may need replacing this winter. However, if you have yet to have your furnace replaced, either due to the cost of replacement or due to the fact that you do not want to deal with the stress of having your HVAC system replaced, you may be surprised to learn how beneficial having your furnace replaced can be. If your aging furnace has been struggling to keep up with the needs of you and your family, here are just a few of the benefits of having it replaced this winter.

Boost Efficiency

If your furnace is 15-20 years old or older, you may not realize how inefficient your system is, and you may be surprised to discover how much money a new furnace could save you. A new furnace will be much more energy-efficient, which will help to greatly reduce the cost of heating your home this winter.

Benefit From a Programmable Thermostat

If your furnace is 20 years old, then you may not have a programmable thermostat. A high-efficiency HVAC system will come with a state-of-the-art programmable thermostat that will give you the ability to not only program your system to turn on and off at specific times, but also, systems with specific zones will allow you to heat certain rooms independently from the rest of your home. This will give you unprecedented control over how and when you heat your home, helping to further save you money on your energy bills.

Breathe Easier

If your furnace is 20 years old, you may be surprised by how much dirt, debris, and allergens have been collecting in your unit and your ductwork over the years. These irritants are then spread throughout your home when you run your furnace leading to increased allergy symptoms and other respiratory problems for you and your family. By replacing your aging furnace you will be helping to make the air in your home more breathable year-round.

Contact Cunningham Associates to learn more about the benefits you could gain by getting a furnace replacement in Atlanta GA.

3 Reasons to Schedule a Furnace Tune-Up Before Winter Hits

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November weather means turning on your furnace for a long winter. If the first cold snap hasn’t hit your local area yet, then now is the best time to get your furnace serviced. Here’s why:

  • The beginning of winter is a busy season for heating contractors and furnace repair companies, which could delay your repair. You don’t want to wait until after the first big storm to get your furnace serviced. Not only can that leave your home without heat during the following low temperatures, a long delay can damage your heating system more or even be dangerous if you have a gas-powered furnace.
  • Servicing your system can help solve problems before they start. Small malfunctions and inefficiencies build up over time, and getting your HVAC checked before you use it regularly can help you catch those problems before your system breaks. Having your furnace serviced means a trained professional checks your ventilation, gas and power connections, and the internal cooling system, which saves you money on larger, preventable repairs.
  • Tune-ups help your home’s air quality. Any air conditioning system in your home collects dust and debris as it circulates air. While changing the filter is one of the best steps you can take to ensuring that allergens are removed from the air and your system isn’t overworking due to poor ventilation, sometimes it’s not enough. Dust can build up in the internal workings of your furnace and mildew that may have built up during the furnace’s dormant season needs to be removed.

Scheduling a tune-up for your furnace before the busy winter season not only helps ensure the system will run once the weather turns, it helps keep your furnace running efficiently. So, contact Cunningham Associates to set up a time to schedule a tune-up.

5 Ways to Winterize Your Home

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In an ideal world, prepping your home for the upcoming winter months would have already been done, before the coldest of the weather starts to creep in. However, if you have let winterizing your home fall to the wayside while the days get shorter and the chill gets colder, here are some tips and tricks to get you back on track!

Set Your Thermostat: This may seem like a complete no-brainer, but make sure that you turn the heat on in your home! A lot of homeowners forget this step and until you find the balance in heat in your home, you could be racking up your energy bill. Try to match your thermostat to the temperature you’ve set for the different rooms of your home.

Change Your Filters: Dirty filters can stifle your unit’s efficiency, and it may make it increasingly difficult for your heating system to heat your entire home in a timely manner. Check to see if your filter is washable! You may be able to use soap and water to clean your filters. Changing the filter also ensures that you keep pollution or debris out of your heating system and, ultimately, if your system works as efficiently as it should, your result will be lower energy bills.

Insulate Vulnerable Or Exposed Pipes: Do you have exposed piping? Pipes that run along the outside of your home, or even in the garage, are exposed to the elements! These temperatures can cause your pipes to freeze so make sure that you insulate those pipes. If you’re unsure which pipes need insulation, do a walk through with an HVAC professional and they can help you avoid frozen pipes by pointing out the weak spots that may need some extra TLC this winter.

Check The Doors and Windows: Check to make sure that your home’s doors and windows are properly sealed! Making sure that there are no cracks in the caulk or weather stripping could help your heating system immensely! Your heating system won’t have to work as hard to maintain a comfortable temperature if there’s no way for the warm air to escape or the cold air to enter your home.

Clean Your Vents: Make sure that before you go into the winter months and turn on your heat that your vents are clean. If you don’t know how to clean them properly, don’t be afraid to ask an HVAC professional! Even getting your system checked or a tune-up would allow for the professionals to clean the vents before you start using your heat each day.

Our trained HVAC professionals at Cunningham Associates Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. will help you and your family transition seamlessly into the Atlanta winters. Schedule your maintenance check-up today!

Winter FAQs

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What should I do if my furnace stops working?

First, shut-off the unit at the thermostat. Next, check the filter to see if it is clogged with debris and change if needed. Check to see if the breaker has been tripped at the main electrical panel. Check to see if the thermostat is operational or requires battery replacement. Contact Cunningham Associates for repairs or service if needed.

What should I do if I smell natural gas around my furnace or water heater?

If you smell natural gas, call your gas company, open windows and doors and exit the home immediately. Contact Cunningham Associates for repairs or service if needed.

How often should I change or clean my filters?

Standard filters should be changed every 6 – 12 months as needed. To change, replace the filter with the correct size and follow all manufacturer’s instructions. Contact Cunningham Associates for filter upgrade options or any questions about replacing the filter.

How often should I have my heating equipment serviced?

Cunningham Associates recommends annual maintenance on your heating system, which should be completed prior to the cold winter months.

See the full answers to these winter-related FAQs, and more, on our FAQs page!

Humidity Can Be a GOOD Thing!

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Dry air in your home can make your throat and skin feel dry and scratchy, cause or aggravate respiratory problems, dry out nasal passages and make you more susceptible to colds or the flu. Although winter weather is often blamed for these problems, a major cause is dry air produced by artificial heating. Humidifying your home to provide proper moisture levels will help alleviate these symptoms.

Dry air can also cause:

  • Static electricity. In addition to causing painful shocks, it can damage computers and other electronic equipment.
  • Hardwood floors and furniture lose moisture and contract when the air in a home is extremely dry. This can cause seams to separate.
  • Houseplants suffer from dryness caused by low humidity.
  • Wallpaper may peel at the edges if the air in a home is excessively dry.

A simple solution is a humidifier. It increases the humidity in the air in a safe, water vapor form and helps make your home healthy and comfortable.

Controlling humidity can also save you money on energy bills. The heat we feel is a combination of temperature and humidity. In other words, the more humid the air, the warmer we feel. Add humidity to dry, heated air in the winter and you can set your thermostat lower and still be comfortable.

If you have a forced air system, a whole house humidifier is probably your best option. These models fill and drain automatically, can go a long way in helping to keep your home at an ideal humidity level, and typically require minimal annual maintenance.

We offer a full range of humidifier models and capacities – we can help you find the right one to suit your needs. Call us today at (770) 455-6722!