With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas down the road, a lot of homeowners are busy planning holiday parties they plan to host in the coming days and weeks.
For those of us who host holiday gatherings, we know how hard it can be to keep everyone comfortable. With so many people under one roof, and so many of them having different temperature preferences, things can easily seem too hot, or too cold, for someone.
To help you find that middle ground that best suits everyone, we at Lebanon Heating & Cooling, put together the following list of heating tips for holiday parties.
Top 12 Holiday Party Heating Tips
- Communication is essential. If you’re looking to keep everyone comfortable during your get-together and you don’t want anyone touching the thermostat, tell them in a polite way. With a group of people under one roof, emphasize to them that compromise and communication is key. You could ask them also not to open any doors or windows to cool off.
- Preventative maintenance. If you have not already serviced your furnace, make sure you have a professional perform maintenance before your party.
- How are your air filters? Make sure your furnace’s air filters are in good shape before your party. Proper airflow is essential all winter long. If it needs replaced, do so right away.
- Turn your ceiling fans on “reverse” flow. Reversing the flow of your ceiling fans allows them to push your warm air back down to floor level where it’s needed most. This maximizes heat and circulates air better, which provides a more even temperature throughout the home.
- Make sure the area surrounding all heating equipment is free and open with plenty of space for it to breathe. These areas should always be clear of things, especially things that are flammable. Because these areas can easily become cluttered and air vents can get covered during a gathering or party, take the necessary steps to ensure they don’t. Heating devices always need space and proper airflow.
- Watch your thermostat while cooking and when people start arriving. Cooking brings heat into a home and the more bodies gathered under one roof the warmer things are. When you combine cooking with a house full of people, it gets hot pretty fast. Having said that, your smart thermostat will make all this all much easier, as you can monitor temperatures and adjust your thermostat with your smartphone at anytime, anywhere. If you don’t have a smart thermostat, we strongly suggest getting one. They are very affordable and easy to install. They pay for themselves in a variety of ways quickly.
- Put blankets out. As noted, almost everyone knows at least one friend or loved one who stays cold no matter how warm a place is inside. For these friends and family members, we recommend putting out blankets on couches and chairs and letting them know they can use them if it’s too cold.
- Cook before your party. As noted, during holiday parties where a group of people are gathered under one roof, cooking can heat things up in a hurry. We all want warm food, but no one wants to roast their guests. If you want to prevent temperatures from skyrocketing during your party, another tip is to cook as much food as possible before your party.
- Fireplaces are for fires. For a more holiday-like atmosphere that will cut heating costs, build a fire in your fireplace. Just be sure the fireplace is 100 percent safe and fully functional. With a fire crackling amid your gathering, you can drop the thermostat a few notches and no one will know the difference.
- Latch, lock windows. Locking windows, or latching them at least, will create a tighter seal around them that stops cool air from coming in and warm air from escaping. Also, locking them should keep guests from opening them.
- Whole-home humidifiers. Using a whole-home humidifier will make your entire house feel far more comfortable year-round, which is a good thing for your holiday party. During the cold months of winter, when the air dries out, humidification enables the air to hold more heat. This can take stress off your furnace, giving it a break, so you can lower your thermostat without sacrificing comfort. Humidifiers also reduce or eliminate static electricity in the air, which will keep your guests more comfortable.
- Space heaters. If your home has certain rooms or areas that are almost always colder than the rest of the house, space heaters are a good solution for your gathering or party. However, we should advise that this is only a temporary solution. Uneven temperatures in a home are a sure sign of an HVAC problem that could be expensive if not looked at. As such, if this is happening, you should give us a call to discuss it.
Call US Anytime!
If you are having issues with your furnace, or if you are interested in discussing any of the services we mentioned above, like humidifiers, smart thermostats or maintenance, please call Lebanon Heating & Cooling today at (513) 540-1773, or schedule an appointment now by clicking here! We’d love hearing from you.
In the meantime, from our family to yours, Happy Holidays!
