While the weather has been fairly mild this winter, once the cold wind starts blowing outside and the snow is falling, you might want to be completely wrapped up with warm blankets avoiding feeling the deep freeze of winter. You may get a runny nose or wear multiple layers of clothing to stay warm. As you continuously battle the cold weather every night during the cold season, there’s one thing we all have in common – the worries that the heater that is running nearly 24/7 might give up or your electric bills might skyrocket. So, what if your heater breaks down? You would never want to shiver all night. To avoid this happening, you can apply these helpful tips to your heating system to make it run more efficiently, so you can get all the cozy warmth without the worry of it breaking down. The first thing you may want to do is get your furnace inspected and tuned up by a professional heater technician. If you don’t own the house, meaning you are a renter and the servicing of the furnace hasn’t been done by the landlord, request for it to be done at your own expense rather than enduring the cold without the heater functioning at its full capacity.  You can exert a little effort before something happens, by getting rid of any dust and dirt off the unit. Try also to get a humidifier to add moisture to the air. Running the heater for a long time means your indoor air can get very dry, where its effects can be felt in your skin and hair. When the air around the house is moist it causes the air to become warmer, so a humidifier can go a long way as it can make the temperature warmer and you will feel more comfortable. Air filters in the heater also need to be cleaned regularly. As a tenant of Thousand Hills Realty, we change these filters out quarterly during your mechanical inspection. However, if you notice that the air filter in the heater is old or very dirty between inspections, it should be replaced with a new one, which is the tenant’s responsibility. If the air filters get clogged with dust and other household grime, the heater is going to work harder to force the warm air through the filter. This means that a clean air filter will help the heater run more efficiently. You don’t necessarily need to use your fireplace to warm up your home. Using a fireplace may seem affordable because it is a cheap and eco-friendly way to stay warm but many experts state that fireplaces actually suck the warm air out of the rest of the home and send it up the chimney, making your home colder. If you chose to use the fire place from time to time, make sure the damper in the fireplace is closed tightly after the fire is out so none of the precious indoor air escapes up. Another helpful way to keep the heat inside your home is by hanging thick curtains on the windows. These curtains will prevent the warm air from escaping through the glass and will also help create a barrier to keep the cold air from the window out. Keeping the curtains open during warmer days can help warm your home but be sure to close them as the temperature drops outside. Use some of these tips to help keep your heater running more efficiently and to prevent it from breaking down. Also, should you have a heating emergency please report it to our office as soon as possible by calling (417) 337-RENT (7368). Did you know you can submit a maintenance request on our website? Visit our maintenance request page to learn more.