Don’t forget about HVAC maintenance in the winter

With temperatures finally feeling like winter in West Alabama, now’s a good time to check in on your home’s HVAC system.

If things aren’t functioning properly, you could be paying more to heat your home.

WVUA 23 News visited Jolly Heating and Air Conditioning this week to learn more about what you can do to ensure your heater is working its best.

HVAC Technician Ethan Gowan said there are some common mistakes people make.

The most common? Leaving your filters in too long before changing them.

“Leaving them in several months at a time and letting them build up and get gunk all over them is a horrible thing for the system,” Gowan said. “It pretty much chokes it out.”

Another thing that you should avoid is running your HVAC at too high or too low of a temperature.

“Right now if you run it up really high, you make the system run all the time,” he said. “That can put some real strain to it.”

The ideal temperature to keep your HVAC set at for optimum comfort is between 70 and 72 degrees, Gowan said. If you’re still too cold, bundle up or use a space heater for the room you’re most often occupying.