A long winter doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, as long as your home is outfitted with the ideal heating system, such as a powerful natural gas furnace. But too often people associate using the heater with paying extremely high winter utility bills. Chances are, though, that those heating bills are unnecessarily high and can be brought down with a few steps and precautions.
If you’re tired of paying too much for your home heating in Fresno, CA or elsewhere in the Central Valley during the winter, we have some important tips to follow. These measures will cut down on heating costs and also reduce the strain on the heating system, giving it an overall longer service life with fewer repair needs.
Start saving those winter coats from last year! Winter months are on the horizon and will be here soon. Don’t throw away any coats that are too small for your kids! We accept gently used or new coats and jackets. All donations stay in our own community and help children in our area.
Help out needy kids in Madera CA by donating coats and jackets.
It looks like we’re going to enjoy a warm—or at least moderately cool—Thanksgiving here in the Central Valley. We can’t expect this to last, of course. By the end of December, the heating systems in our homes will be working regularly, and they’ll keep up their hard work through until April.
If you’ve had the same furnace in your home for many years, you’re probably accustomed to it having a pilot light. If you have newer furnace, or you’re planning on having one installed in the near future, it probably doesn’t use a pilot light at all. Instead, an electronic ignition system ignites the burners. In fact, you rarely see standing pilot lights on newly manufactured furnaces anymore. Why did this change happen? Let’s take a look. 
Although the official start of winter doesn’t arrive until the third week in December, the cooling in the Central Valley often sets in earlier. Right now, we are still experiencing warm days, but the nights are developing a chill. Once Daylight Savings time ends in November, we can anticipate a faster change in the temperatures to the colder side. Right now is the time to see that your HVAC system is prepared for the change in seasons. Here’s what you can do to help prepare it. 
Are you looking into having a new heating system installed this fall? It’s a great season to schedule this kind of major HVAC job: you’ll be ready in time for the winter cold, and it’s easy to have it arranged with our installers at a convenient time.
Temperatures are still warm and sometimes hot here in the Central Valley as we enter into the official beginning of fall. 
September is often one of the hottest months of the year in the Central Valley. We won’t expect relief to arrive until October, when fall has officially started and has had some time to settle in and begin cooling us down.
Refrigerant loss is one of the major problems an air conditioning system may encounter during its service life. And it’s not only a problem that occurs in aging, over-the-hill ACs. An air conditioning system that’s been in service for around 5 to 6 years can develop corrosion along its refrigerant lines because of exposure to formaldehyde in the air. It’s wise to always watch for indications that your AC, no matter how old it is, may be losing refrigerant to leaks: