It may be early fall, but those in the business of providing heating to homes are already thinking winter.
“We send out letters to our customers every August, reminding them of our maintenance program,” said Melanie Dill, owner of Southern Fireplaces. “If you wait until the first day of cold weather to call, there’s just no way we can be there right away. We urged our customers to schedule a maintenance appointment in September and October.”
Southern Fireplaces specializes in direct vent, sealed systems that can often provide enough heat to take the place of a regular heating system, Dill said. For many customers, the fireplaces become their main heat source.
“That’s why it’s important to have everything checked out before weather turns cold,” she said. “The longer someone waits, the more likely there’s going to be a scheduling problem.”
At Brislin Inc., the story is much the same.
The Columbus company provides HVAC systems for both commercial and residential customers. This time of year, said Brislin Inc. service manager Chris Kendrick, the company is making maintenance calls on its customers to ensure their heating systems are in good condition and ready to be used.
“We do get slammed when the weather gets cold,” Kendrick said. “It’s the same way in the summer, when the weather turns hot for the first time.”
Kendrick said Brislin, unlike some HVAC companies, has a regular maintenance contract with its customers.
“We call customers and set up times with them so that we can check out their systems and make sure they are ready to go,” Kendrick said.
Those maintenance checks can go beyond just ensuring that heating systems are ready to use, he said.
“We check sensors, burners to make sure everything is clean,” Kendrick said. “We’ll check motors and the blower wheel to make sure it is not corroded. But a big thing is to make sure there is no hole in the heat exchanger. When that happens, it can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, so that’s a safety issue for customers who have gas systems.”
Dill said her company offers a $130 service program that includes changing batteries in the fireplace systems, cleaning the ceramic glass screens and vacuuming and cleaning dust and debris that has accumulated since the previous winter.
“It’s something we strongly recommend,” she said. “… It’s like changing the oil in your car: It’s something you know you need to do.”
Energy Efficiency
In addition to having heating systems checked out, the fall is also a good time to do an overall assessment of your home’s energy efficiency, said Jon Turner of 4-County Electric Power Association.
“Probably the two biggest areas are insufficient insulation and heat escape through windows, doors, even electrical outlets,” Turner said.
Keeping that heat from literally slipping through the cracks can save power customers substantially on their bills.
For years, TVA-affiliated power companies have provided a service called eScore.
“We’ll come out and do a thorough assessment of your home, everything from your heating units to ducts, windows, doors, insulation,” Turner said. “It’s a free service. The customer gets a report that shows them exactly where there are problems.”
In many cases, TVA offers rebate or incentive programs for customers who want to resolve those issues.
“It really is a great program,” Turner said. “And now is the perfect time to set up an appointment.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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