Air Purifier next to plants

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality Before Cold Weather Hits

by wfcadmin

As the weather cools down, we begin to spend more time indoors with our windows shut, trying to keep the warmth inside. While this helps conserve heat, it also traps pollutants, allergens, and moisture that can lower indoor air quality (IAQ). Poor air quality can lead to respiratory issues, allergies, and even impact the efficiency of your HVAC system.

Before winter fully sets in, now is the perfect time to get ahead of the problem. Here’s how you can ensure clean, healthy indoor air this fall and winter.

1. Start with Fresh HVAC Filters

Changing your air filter is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve indoor air quality. Over time, filters collect dust, pollen, pet dander, and other airborne particles. If not replaced regularly, clogged filters reduce airflow, forcing your HVAC system to work harder and spreading contaminants throughout your home.

  • How often should you change filters?
    Every 30 to 90 days, depending on the filter type and household conditions (e.g., pets, allergies).

2. Schedule Duct Cleaning

Your ductwork can accumulate dust, dirt, mold spores, and allergens over time. When your HVAC system kicks on, these contaminants are circulated throughout your home. A professional duct cleaning can improve airflow, prevent allergens from spreading, and enhance the efficiency of your HVAC system.

  • When to consider duct cleaning:
    • If it has been 3-5 years since the last cleaning.
    • If there are signs of mold, dust buildup, or pest infestations inside the ducts.
    • If family members experience allergies or respiratory issues indoors.

3. Use a Whole-House Air Purifier or UV Light

If you want extra protection, installing an air purifier or UV light inside your HVAC system can make a noticeable difference. Air purifiers filter out fine particles, bacteria, and viruses, while UV lights kill harmful microorganisms like mold and bacteria circulating in your air.

  • Benefits of whole-house air purifiers:
    • Removes smoke, pollen, and pet dander.
    • Helps those with allergies, asthma, or other respiratory conditions.
    • Improves airflow by keeping HVAC components clean.

4. Check for Proper Ventilation

Good ventilation is essential for maintaining healthy IAQ, especially during the colder months when homes are sealed tightly. Poor ventilation can cause moisture buildup, leading to mold growth, stale air, and indoor air pollution.

  • Tips to ensure proper ventilation:
    • Open vents and make sure they are not blocked by furniture.
    • Use exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms to reduce moisture.
    • Consider installing an energy recovery ventilator (ERV), which exchanges stale indoor air for fresh outdoor air while maintaining energy efficiency.

5. Control Humidity Levels with a Humidifier

During the winter, dry air can cause issues like dry skin, nosebleeds, and increased static electricity. Low humidity also impacts IAQ by irritating your respiratory system. Running a whole-house humidifier can help keep humidity levels between 30% and 50%, the ideal range for indoor comfort.

  • Bonus: Proper humidity levels can also help preserve wood furniture and reduce energy bills since humid air feels warmer.

6. Clean Your Air Vents and Registers

Dust and debris often accumulate on the surface of vents and registers, impacting air quality. Give these areas a quick clean before winter arrives.

  • How to clean vents and registers:
    1. Remove the vent covers and wash them with soapy water.
    2. Use a vacuum with a hose attachment to remove dust inside the ducts.
    3. Wipe the inside edges with a microfiber cloth.

7. Add Houseplants to Your Space

Plants are a natural way to enhance indoor air quality. Certain species are known for their ability to filter harmful chemicals from the air, such as benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide. Plus, they add a cozy touch to any room during the colder months.

  • Top air-purifying plants for winter:
    • Snake Plant
    • Peace Lily
    • Spider Plant
    • English Ivy

Conclusion

Improving your indoor air quality before cold weather sets in ensures you and your family breathe easier all season long. From replacing filters to scheduling duct cleanings, these small steps can make a big difference in your health and comfort. If you want to take it further, consider adding air purifiers or humidity control systems to your HVAC setup.

Need help with fall HVAC maintenance or IAQ solutions? Contact us today to schedule an inspection or free consultation!

Handling HVAC Emergencies in Winter: A Safety Guide for Northern Kentucky Residents

by wfcadmin

As the winter chill settles in, you’ll want to make sure that your furnace is dependable in order to keep your home warm and comfortable. In some cases, even the most well-maintained furnaces can encounter emergencies during the coldest months. Therefore, knowing how to navigate these situations safely is crucial for every homeowner.

Below, we’ve listed 8 steps that you should take when your furnace faces an emergency during the cold season:

1. Stay Calm and Assess the Situation

In moments of crisis, maintaining a level head is key. If your furnace malfunctions or you suspect a carbon monoxide leak, first, ensure everyone’s safety by immediately evacuating the premises. Once outside, assess the situation carefully before taking any further action.

2. Shut Down the System

If it’s safe to do so, turn off your heating system to prevent further complications. For gas furnaces, locate the emergency shut-off valve and turn it off. Similarly, for electrical systems, use the breaker panel to cut off power to the malfunctioning unit.

3. Ventilate Your Home

If you suspect a carbon monoxide leak, open doors and windows to allow fresh air in to circulate. This step is crucial for preventing CO building, safeguarding the health of everyone in the house.

4. Contact Emergency Services

In case of gas leaks, strong odors, or suspected carbon monoxide issues, call emergency services immediately. Evacuate your home and wait for the authorities to arrive. Never re-enter the premises until professionals have deemed it safe to do so.

5. Contact a Professional HVAC Service

After ensuring everyone’s safety, contact a trusted HVAC professional for prompt assistance. Emergency HVAC services are equipped to handle winter-related breakdowns and can quickly diagnose and address the issue.

6. Avoid DIY Repairs

While you may be tempted to fix the issue yourself, we recommend, especially during an emergency, refraining from DIY repairs. Winter-related furnace issues often require specialized knowledge and tools. Trying to fix the system without expertise could potentially worsen the situation, and pose safety risks.

7. Schedule Regular HVAC Maintenance

Prevention is key to avoiding emergencies. Schedule regular maintenance with Steve’s Heating & Cooling to ensure your furnace is in top-notch condition before the harsh winter months arrive. Regular inspections can often catch potential issues before they become emergencies.

8. Consider Backup Heating Options

In severe emergencies where repairs might take time, having alternative heating sources like space heaters or a fireplace can provide temporary relief until your furnace is fixed.

Conclusion

Winter furnace emergencies can be daunting, but staying prepared and knowing the appropriate steps to take can mitigate risks and ensure the safety of your household. Remember, safety comes first – never hesitate to seek professional help when facing a furnace emergency.

Contact Steve’s Heating & Cooling for your HVAC needs

Since our inception in 1975, we have installed and serviced thousands of comfort systems throughout the Northern Kentucky area. By choosing Steve’s Heating & Cooling, you can be assured that you are getting the highest quality service from trusted HVAC professionals. Contact us today for a free consultation!

HVAC Repair Photo

What To Look For In An HVAC Contractor In Kentucky

by wfcadmin

As a homeowner in Kentucky, finding the right HVAC company to work with is crucial to ensure that your heating and cooling systems are properly installed and are providing comfortable temperatures year-round. With so many HVAC contractors in the area, it can be challenging to decipher which company is best for you. That’s why in this blog post, we cover 5 essential factors to consider when selecting an HVAC contractor in the Kentucky area.

1. Experience & Reputation

As you probably could’ve guessed, experience and reputation play a large role when determining if an HVAC contractor is right for you. You’ll want to make sure you’re working with a team who has a proven track record of success, top-of-the-line customer service, and a solid reputation in the community.

Consider browsing the internet for online reviews, asking for referrals from friends and family, and checking with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) before making any final decisions.

2. Licensed & Insured

Choosing an HVAC contractor who is licensed and insured will protect you and your property and make sure that the job is done right. Licensing ensures that the contractor has met the minimum requirements for training and experience in the HVAC industry, while insurance protects you in case of any damages or injuries that may occur during the work.

To validate your contractor’s credentials, kindly ask them to provide you with their license and insurance information, then you can verify it with the state licensing board.

3. Professionalism & Communication

When it comes time to maintain or install HVAC equipment, you’ll want to make sure you are working with a contractor who is professional and responsive. Look for contractors who show up on time, provide you with detailed estimates, and answer all of your questions thoroughly.

A good contractor should be able to keep you updated on the progress of your project and notify you of any changes or delays that have occurred.

4. Knowledge & Expertise

A good HVAC contractor should have a deep knowledge and understanding of installing and repairing various HVAC systems such as central air conditioning units, furnaces, heat pumps, ductless mini-splits, and more. They should also be able to recommend the best HVAC solutions for your home.

At the end of the day, good HVAC contractors take pride in their work and are more likely to deliver a quality end result.

5. Customer Service & Warranty

Work with an HVAC contractor who prioritizes their customers and delivers exceptional customer service. Their commitment to your satisfaction ensures that you’ll receive the best possible service and that your HVAC system remains in top condition for years to come.

In addition, the contractor should also provide a warranty on their workmanship and the products that they install. This will give you peace of mind knowing that any issues that may arise after the installation or repair will be taken care of promptly.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, choosing the right HVAC contractor requires careful consideration of several factors. By doing your research and choosing a reputable, experienced, and knowledgeable contractor who has excellent customer service, you can be assured that your HVAC systems are providing you with comfortable temperatures year-round.

Choose Steve’s Heating & Cooling As Your HVAC Contractor

Looking for an HVAC contractor who’s licensed, reliable, experienced, has a warranty, and so on? Look no further than Steve’s Heating & Cooling!

Since 1975, we’ve installed and serviced thousands of comfort systems throughout the Northern Kentucky area. By choosing Steve’s Heating & Cooling as your HVAC provider, you can be assured that you’re getting the most out of your HVAC units! Contact us today!

9 Tricks To Save Money Heating Your Home This Winter

by wfcadmin

Imagine the perfect winter day, where you are bundled up on the couch, staying nice and warm, and are enjoying a cup of hot tea while watching the snow fall. Then, suddenly, your heating bill arrives for the month.

Now, your day isn’t so perfect anymore…

As you may already know, home heating is one of the most expensive utilities that you pay for as a homeowner. In most cases, heating makes up for more than 40% of a utility bill. While this amount is certainly substantial, there are several things that you can do to reduce the amount of money spent on heating your home each month.

Why Is My Bill So High?

Heating bills vary greatly among each household and family. At the end of the day, your heating bill is determined by the condition of your home, the state of your furnace, and the rate at which you use your furnace at. Listed below are ways that these factors can affect your heating bill:

Condition of your home: In homes that lack proper insulation, you can expect to experience heat loss. The same is true for windows and doors that are poorly sealed, or if you have air leaks around your power outlets or fireplace.

State of your furnace: Older furnaces use more fuel and energy than a newer, energy-efficient one does.

Habits/Preferences: Some homeowners adjust their thermostat on a regular basis, while some use the “set it and forget it” approach. People who “set it and forget it” are more likely to have a higher heating bill. That’s because with this approach, your home is heated equally when you are out on vacation, sleeping, etc. Additionally, if the people in your home prefer to wear short sleeves indoors during this time of year, then you will likely need to keep your home warmer.

Common Areas of Heat Loss

One of the first steps in figuring out how to reduce your heating bill is identifying areas in your home that are experiencing heat loss. Since homes are not air-tight, this means that any small cracks or crevices in your home are susceptible candidates. Some of the most common areas in homes that experience heat loss are:

  • Windows
  • Doors
  • Roofs
  • Walls
  • Fireplaces
  • Power outlets

On the flip side, these cracks and crevices can allow for cold air to enter into your home. In order to save the most money, it is important to make sure that you are identifying and taking action with these areas in your home year-round.

9 Tricks To Save Money On Heating

You now know a bit more about why your energy bill is higher during the winter. Next, we’ll help you take the right steps to get your bill lower than it was during the previous winter months. Check out our list of tips below:

1. Turn Down Your Water Heater

Nothing feels better than a hot shower during the winter, we get it. However, what if we told you that you could save 11% on water heating costs by slightly reducing your water heater’s temperature AND still taking hot showers?

By cutting your water heater’s temperature from 140°F to 120°F, you can save a tremendous amount of money on monthly water heating costs. In addition, according to the California Energy Commission, cutting shower length in half can also save up to 33% on water heating costs.

Turning down your water heater is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to save money on your monthly heating bill.

2. Replace Furnace Filters

Aside from cleaning the air, changing your furnace filters will ensure that your furnace is operating at its optimal efficiency. When air filters are covered in dust and debris, the clogged material forces your unit to work harder, ultimately raising energy costs.

3. Seal Air Leaks

From doors and windows, to outlets and fireplaces, these areas must be properly sealed in order to prevent your home’s heat from drifting outdoors. Listed below are some tips and tricks to help seal up any air leaks you may have in your home:

  • Make sure all doors and windows are closed tightly.
  • Replace weather-stripping as needed.
  • Use plastic window kits to insulate leaks.

4. Turn Down Your Thermostat

Everyone has their own preference when it comes to heating their home during the winter. But did you know that you can save roughly 5% on room heating costs by lowering your thermostat just 2-3 degrees?

Doing so certainly means changing up your way of doing things – but the benefits are all there. In most cases, people who turn their thermostat down 2-3 degrees end up being just as comfortable as they were prior to making the change. Why not give it a try?

5. Close Unused Vents

Are there rooms in your house that you barely use? By closing the vents in those rooms, you can redirect your furnace’s heat so that it gets occupied by the rooms in your home that you use regularly.

6. Turn On Your Ceiling Fan

Most people hold the belief that ceiling fans are solely meant to keep you cool during the summer. While ceiling fans are certainly great at doing that, they also offer benefits for heating your home. Ceiling fans that run clockwise can be used to help distribute warm air throughout your home.

Not sure if your blade is spinning clockwise? Stand under the fan blades while the fan is spinning. If the fan is spinning clockwise, then you will not feel any air blowing down on you.

7. Check Your Insulation

On average, attics should have at least 11 inches of fiberglass insultation. Without it, you can expect to lose a great deal of heat to the upper level of your home.

Haven’t laid down your insulation yet? It’s important to make sure you seal up any cracks in the attic floor before applying insulation.

8. Turn Off Bathroom Fan

After a hot shower, most people think to turn on the exhaust fan switch. During the winter, we recommend opening a door instead. This will allow the humid air from the steam to migrate to nearby areas in the home, ultimately warming the air.

9. Use The Heat From The Sun

Although you might not see as much of the sun during the winter, it is not gone entirely. On sunny days, we recommend opening any blinds, shades, or curtains to capture the warmth from the sun. Once it starts to get dark outside, close them to reduce the chill from cold windows.

Still Not Saving Money? Let Steve’s Heating & Cooling Handle It

If you have followed all of the steps listed above and still aren’t noticing a change on your energy bill, then your HVAC unit is likely the problem. Contact Steve’s Heating & Cooling today to inquire about our HVAC repair and replacement services.

Since our inception in 1975, we have installed and serviced thousands of comfort systems throughout the Northern Kentucky area. By choosing Steve’s Heating & Cooling, you can be assured that you are getting the highest quality HVAC service!

Burning fireplace with logs

Supplemental Heating Options Breakdown

by wfcadmin

It’s winter and, if you are like many homeowners, you might be looking for ways to supplement your main heating source. Perhaps you want to warm parts of the house that are always chilly or save money by heating the rooms you spend the most time in while keeping the rest of the house cooler. Maybe you are looking for an emergency heating option should you experience a winter power outage.

Whatever your heating needs, there are a number of options on the market. Here’s your guide to finding the right one for you.

Space Heaters

Space heaters come in a wide range of heating capacities. They are designed to warm a single room or small space by focusing heat in areas you need it instead of running your central heating system at full blast. Space heaters are usually powered via electrical outlet but some run on propane, natural gas, kerosene, or wood pellets.

Pros:

  • Energy efficient: Instead of heating the whole house, space heaters allow you to direct heat to areas you frequent, limiting your home’s environmental impact.
  • Lower energy bills: it is cheaper to use a space heater than to rely solely on your central heating system.

Cons:

  • If used improperly, space heaters can be a big hazard. More than 25,000 house fires and over 6,000 emergency room visits each year are blamed on space heaters.
  • Children and pets are often drawn to space heaters, risking injury.
  • Space heaters should not be used unsupervised or at night while you are sleeping.

Popular Types of Space Heaters

Radiator Heaters

These heaters warm the small areas in their “line of sight”. Instead of heating the air, radiant heaters give off radiating heat waves that warm clothes, skin, and objects.

Radiant heaters work best if you are trying warm a specific spot in your house, like a play corner or your favorite reading nook. Radiant heaters are especially effective in drafty areas and rooms with high ceilings.

Pros:

    • Indoor and outdoor use
    • Very efficient and warm areas quickly
    • Typically small and portable

Cons:

    • Don’t circulate heat around a room
    • May be dangerous to small children and pets if heating elements are exposed

Convection Heaters

Also known as forced air heaters, they use a fan to circulate warm air, thus they work best in enclosed areas that are properly insulated. Because they warm up the air itself, convection heaters take longer to raise the temperature in the room.

Pros:

    • Heats the entire room
    • Best in small, well-insulated areas

Cons:

    • Less energy efficient than radiant heaters.
    • Because they use a fan to circulate air, they are louder than other options and often kick up dust
    • Relatively ineffective in poorly insulated areas

Filler Space Heaters

These heaters are filled with a material (usually oil) that is heated with electricity. It takes a while for the filler to warm up, once it is heated, it generates uninterrupted heat to the whole room.

Pros:

    • No exposed heating coils or electrical elements that pose threat of injury or fire
    • Very quiet

Cons:

    • Quite heavy, larger, and more difficult to move around
    • Take longer to heat up and cool down

Types of Fireplaces

Fireplaces are cozy and cheery on cold, winter days but they aren’t portable, so fireplaces can only heat the area of the house in which they are located. However, you can use some fireplaces effectively for “zone heating”.

Wood burning fireplaces

These are the least efficient types of fireplaces for generating heat. Nearly 80% of the heated air is lost up the chimney of a traditional fireplace. If your goal is to generate supplemental or emergency heat, a wood fireplace is not an efficient option, despite its cheery crackle.

In addition to inefficient heat, wood burning fireplaces require more maintenance than all other fireplace options, pose greater fire risk, and demand a supply of chopped, dry wood.

Gas fireplaces

Gas log fireplaces are far more efficient than wood fireplaces. About 70% of the generated heat stays in your home. They can be remote controlled and provide all the benefits of a wood burning fireplace without the mess, maintenance hassle, and fire hazards.

Vented Gas Fireplace

These fireplaces work very similarly to a traditional wood fireplace, but they burn gas or propane and they look almost exactly like a traditional wood fireplace! Most traditional fireplaces can be converted to vented gas.

Pros:

    • Easier and less expensive to install than wood burning fireplaces
    • Many options on where vented fireplaces can be installed
    • Look very similar to wood burning fireplaces
    • Very efficient at generating heat

Cons:

    • Use more gas than ventless gas fireplaces
    • Put out less heat than ventless gas fireplaces, but far more than wood burning
    • Usually need an existing fireplace and chimney in your home (or have significant installation costs)

Ventless Gas Fireplace:

These fireplaces burn gas or propane and use the air in your home to generate heat. They are the most efficient type of fireplace because all the heat remains inside and there is no connection to the outside.

Pros:

    • Most efficient fireplace option for heat source
    • Can be installed almost anywhere

Cons:

    • Logs are set by the manufacturer and cannot be rearranged
    • Some people are sensitive to the combustion byproducts
    • Higher risk of carbon monoxide poisoning
    • Produce moisture and sometimes condensation on windows
    • Less natural, bluish flame

It’s important to consider all your options when thinking about supplemental heat. None of these options seem energy efficient enough for you? Check out our post on Nest Thermostats and see if a zoning option could be right for you.