Laird & Son Heating & Air Conditioning, a Toronto, Ontario-based furnace, air conditioning, and heating service, has announced the recent publication of a new blog post. The post, titled "12 Furnace Repair and Energy Efficiency Hacks to Do Before Canadian Winter Hits" is aimed at Canadian customers who should be starting to get prepared for winter.
"As soon as summer is over, homeowners in Canada should take early action to make sure their homes are properly prepared for the cold weather," says Ron Potter, a spokesperson for the company. "Not only are these tips recommended for our customers all over Canada, they're in fact critical in order to avoid unnecessary costly damage to your home and high energy bills during the winter."
In the blog, the company suggests getting a "smart" thermostat to replace the one in the home. In recent years, the technology surrounding thermostats keeping temperature in the home has become more advanced to make thermostats more sensitive, and many can be turned up or down using a smartphone app by homeowners even when they're away from home. The company says that having the temperature fluctuate even five degrees will use more energy than leaving it at one temperature all day. With a smart thermostat, it will know exactly how to adjust the temperature to be efficient.
Laird and Son also recommend fortifying the upper, lower, and outer sections of the house to ensure they are sealed in order to prevent the cold air from outside entering the house. "Many homeowners don't even consider checking their attics, basements, garages, and crawl spaces because they're typically not spaces they think of when they're trying to be energy efficient," Potter says. "While they may act as buffers to the colder weather, they typically have ducts and pipes that lead to the outside that may have leaks. We highly recommend checking these places to make sure they're properly sealed."
To that end, the company highly recommends that homeowners call them to have a certified HVAC technician come out and inspect their ducts while looking at their HVAC unit to ensure it is working correctly before the weather gets too severe. "Think of it as a little wellness check-up on your system," Potter says. "It's going to be working full-time once the temperature drops, so getting a regular maintenance check is vital to ensuring that you won't need emergency repairs during the dead of winter."
Eliminating drafts is another significant way that homeowners can cut down on energy costs. In many houses, cold drafts can creep in through doors, unsealed light fixtures, windows, and even letterboxes, keyholes, and electrical outlets. The company recommends upgrading the weather stripping around the doors, and installing double-paned or storm windows. If upgrading is not a possibility, installing weather-proofing plastic over the windows can help cut down on leaks.
The family-owned and -operated company has been servicing the Toronto area for over 70 years. They employ highly trained staff and technicians and ensure that they are compliant with all codes and regulations. All work is done with drop sheets to ensure cleanliness on all jobs.
The work that Laird and Son have done has garnered some highly-starred reviews. On Google, Sara S. said, "I arrived home from work at 4:30 on a steamy Friday before a long weekend to find our A/C not working. I called Laird and Son and left a message on the emergency service line fully expecting that I would hear back sometime over the weekend. I received a call within minutes and Mack, the service technician, was on-site by 5:15. The problem was a complicated one and he took the time to work through each of the issues as they arose keeping me informed of what he was finding, what he was doing to fix it and any costs that were being incurred along the way. He was polite, courteous and knowledgeable. He actually took the time to follow up 48 hours later with a phone call to make sure everything was still working properly due to the complexity of the problem. I will never use anyone but Laird and Son in the future for our furnace and A/C requirements. I know when I call them that they will respond promptly, assess the problem accurately and fix the situation at a reasonable price. Thanks Mack."
More tips on energy efficiency for the winter can be found at the Company Site.
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Contact Laird & Son Heating & Air Conditioning:
Ron Potter
416-421-2121
inquiries@lairdandson.com
120 Dynamic Drive #22, Toronto ON M1V 5C8
