If you are hosting holiday parties at your home this year, you will be doing a lot of planning, preparing, and decorating. In addition to your menu planning and final touches, be sure to spend some time focusing on all aspects of your home’s heating system. Keep your guests comfortable with our top ten holiday party heating tips.

1. Check and change/clean your HVAC filter

One of the easiest home maintenance tasks is also the number one cause of HVAC system malfunctions. Clean or replace your system’s filter today—it only takes a few minutes.

2. Program your thermostat

Since temperatures around the holidays can fluctuate greatly in metro Atlanta, you’ll want to program your thermostat to automatically switch back and forth between heating and cooling as needed. You will also want to turn down the thermostat just before your party since a house full of guests will cause the temperature to naturally rise. If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, now is the perfect time to have one installed.

3. Install a whole-home humidifier

Not only will a humidifier help eliminate dry air and reduce static electricity, it will help your home to retain heat. This will allow you to set your thermostat lower without sacrificing comfort.

4. Clean your fireplace

A warm fire creates a welcoming atmosphere. Have a chimney sweep clean the inside of your fireplace to remove built-up soot and creosote if you plan on having a fire during your party. Close the fireplace damper if you will not be having a fire to prevent your home’s warmed air from escaping through the chimney.

5. Have your heating system serviced

Schedule a heating maintenance appointment with an Cochran Cooling & Heating technician so you won’t be surprised by any heating problems before or during your holiday parties. One of our technicians will ensure your system is working properly by cleaning and examining your system and ensuring it doesn’t not need any repairs.

6. Seal and weather strip doors and windows

Warm air from inside your home will be escaping as guests come and go, but by applying weather stripping to windows and door frames you can reduce the amount of air escaping when your home’s doors and windows are closed.

7. Use ceiling fans

Ceiling fans can circulate the air to maintain a more even temperature. Set your home’s ceiling fans to their “reverse” setting to push the rising warm air back down to ground level.

8. Cook ahead when possible

Do as much cooking as possible ahead of time to avoid heating up your house immediately before or during your party. This will also free you up to mingle with your guests.

9. Serve warm foods and drinks

Keep your guests toasty warm by serving warm meatballs, dips, and ciders rather than iced drinks and chilled foods.

10. Be sure heating vents are not blocked

Guests may unknowingly block some of your home’s vents with items like coats or chairs. Keep an eye on these areas throughout your party to be sure that they remain unobstructed.

Call Cochran Cooling & Heating for all of your heating needs

If your furnace is acting up or you need to schedule a maintenance appointment, contact Cochran Cooling & Heating today and rest easy knowing you and your guests will be comfortable this holiday season.