But before you do your heating sign-off dance, it’s a good idea to get a jump on a few tasks that your equipment – and your wallet – will thank you for once temperatures start dropping again later in the year.
Here are three important things you can do for your heating system in the coming weeks.
Clean your equipment. Heat equipment can gather a surprising amount of dirt and dust during its working season – better to get that part-jamming gunk cleared now rather than leaving it to attract even more in the months ahead. If you have a forced-air system that combines A/C and heating, spring is a good time to look for obvious problems like duct leaks and blocked flues or vents; it’s also the perfect time to check and change your system’s air filter.
Maintain your equipment. After a long, hard winter, your heating equipment can use a little love from a heating pro. Early spring is a great time to tackle routine maintenance for your furnace, boiler, or burner, since expert technicians are more readily available during this “shoulder season.” Oh, and remember that gunk we talked about before? Routine maintenance will take care of that, too.
Consider sensible upgrades. Spring is a great time to buy a new heating system – the price of heating equipment will often be lower than in other seasons (due to lower demand and incentives), and installation appointment times will be more plentiful (there’s that shoulder season benefit again). The other reason? From a practical standpoint, installing a heating system in spring is good because you won’t suddenly need heat the way you might during the fall or winter.