Now that holiday season is underway, a lot of us look forward to hosting holiday parties in our homes while the weather outside continues to produce frigid temperatures. Because it’s so cold outdoors, we want to make sure all our guests are comfortable during our gatherings. But we also don’t want to compromise our home heating systems or budgets.
Doing so while maintaining agreeable temperatures during a party is easier said than done. During any sort of gathering under one roof, things can easily become too cold, or too hot.
To make matters worse, everyone has their own comfort preferences (some are too cold no matter how warm it is while others easily become too hot), finding that middle ground to make sure everyone enjoys themselves can be tricky.
To help you find balance in all this, we at Monroe Heating & Air, put together the following list of heating tips for holiday parties.
Top 12 Holiday Heating Tips
- Make sure your furnace has been serviced by a professional this year, if you have not done so already.
- Being upfront with communication is key. In our modern complicated world, sometimes the easiest solution to our challenges is right in front of our faces. In an upfront way, tell your guests that you will gladly adjust the temperature if they are too cold or too hot. Tell them you want everyone to be comfortable, but compromise is key. You might also let them know in a kind and gentle way that you’d rather not have anyone touching the thermostat or opening any doors or windows.
- Make sure your HVAC filter is in good shape. If not, replace it before your guests arrive.
- Make sure the area surrounding your furnace and all other heating devices and vents is open and has enough space. These areas should always remain clear of items, especially items that are flammable. As guests start to arrive, be mindful that these areas can easily become cluttered. Airflow must never become obstructed.
- Lower temperature levels during the times you are cooking — or during the times your home has the most amount of people inside, and especially both. Cooking can warm things up and more bodies also equal more warmth. Having a smart thermostat will make all this go much smoother, as you can adjust your thermostat from your smartphone during the party. If you don’t have a smart thermostat, you really should think about getting one. We install them at very affordable rates and it takes very little time.
- As we mentioned earlier, most of us have at least one friend or loved one who is always cold no matter how warm the house is. For these special folks, we recommend making blankets available on your couches and chairs so they are available to keep them warm if things are too cold for their comfort. You might even touch base with them to see if you can provide a sweater or something. Afterall, we want everyone to enjoy our special gathering we went to such lengths to put on.
- The phrase “if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen” need not apply here. The fact is, during holiday parties where many people are gathered under one roof, cooking can heat things up quickly. No one wants to roast their guests. If you want to avoid making things too hot, we suggest cooking ahead of time as much as possible and keeping an eye on inside temperatures for the cooking done during the party.
- If you’d like to add some holiday ambiance while saving on heating costs you can build a fire in your fireplace during the party, if you have a safe working fireplace. Doing so will allow you to keep the thermostat on a lower setting, which will save you on heating costs.
- Keeping your windows latched, or locked, will form a tighter seal around them to prevent drafts that let cool air in and warm air escape. Moreover, it should also show your guests you don’t want them cracking windows open if things are too warm.
- Installing a whole-home humidifier will make your home far more comfortable throughout the holiday season, which is a good thing for your holiday party. During the cold months when the air is dry, these devices enable the air to retain the heat your furnace is generating so you can keep your thermostat lower and keep your home more comfortable using less energy. Furthermore, humidifiers help by eliminating static electricity, which will keep your guests more comfortable.
- Change your ceiling fan’s setting to “reverse.” Doing this makes your fans push the warm air rising upward back downward to floor level where it’s needed; this maximizes heat in the home while circulating the air leading to a more even temperature throughout the home.
- Consider space heaters in remote areas. If you have areas of your house that are usually cooler than others, like a remote room or an upstairs bedroom, and you know guests are going to be spending time there, you should consider using space heaters to even out the temperature. However, keep in mind this is a short term solution for your guests’ sake. Uneven temperature levels are a sign of an HVAC problem that you should consult a professional about because any number of things could be happening and this could cost you more down the road if left unchecked.
Call us for all your heating needs!
If you are having issues with your heating system, or if you are interested in exploring any of the services we mentioned above, please call Monroe Heating & Air today at (513) 540-4890, or schedule an appointment now by clicking here! We’d love hearing from you.
Have a safe and happy holiday season!
