3 steps to create comfort for your guests
There’s this amazing machine in your home called a furnace. The furnace has the ability to do more than just control the heat in your home. Your furnace, when used properly, holds the secrets to creating a comfortable environment for guests in your home this winter season.
Some people are always too cold, for these folks, the temperature can never be too high. There are some that are always too warm, these people outright refuse to turn up the thermostat until they can see their breath.
Finding the perfect temperature with a house full of people seems like a task that is nearly impossible. We’re here to help.
Here are three things you (and your furnace) can do to ensure your guests are comfortable in your home this winter.
1. Prep the House for Comfort
Pre-heat key areas of the home. Most guests spend time in the living room, dining room and of course the kitchen. These rooms warm faster if you get the rooms up to temperature prior to the guests arriving. If you have rooms far from vents, drafty spaces, or areas guests won’t be roaming, close the doors and curtains to isolate these rooms.
HVAC Pro Tip: Do not close the vents in the isolated rooms. On the surface this seems like a good idea, but it’s not. You vents, or ductwork are tuned specifically to your HVAC system and closing vents increases pressure which makes the furnace work harder and can lead to a costly furnace repair.
Adjust for cooking heat
Holiday kitchens get hot quickly. If you’ll be cooking for hours, lower the thermostat by 2 degrees roughly an hour before guests arrive. Ovens, stovetops, and bodies will naturally warm the home.
Close blinds and curtains at night
This reduces heat loss and keeps the furnace from overworking.
Open interior doors
Open bedroom or bathroom doors to let warm air circulate, unless you’re keeping selective rooms cooler on purpose.
Humidity matters
Dry air makes rooms feel colder. There are things you can do when your home has dry air. If the air is very dry, a whole-home or portable humidifier can make 70°F feel like 72°F, without raising the thermostat.
2. The Comfort Formula
People are basically tiny space heaters. Body heat, movement, breathing, plus cooking/ovens, all increase the indoor temperature. With enough bodies in a home, your furnace doesn’t need to work as hard.
Here is a rule of thumb the HVAC professional’s use when designing heating systems and choosing the proper furnace for a home. Every extra person adds ~100 BTUs of heat. Translated into English, the temperature rises roughly 1°F for every 5–7 people in your home.
How to Use This Rule in Real Life
Small gatherings (4–8 people) lower thermostat 1°F about 30–60 minutes before guests arrive. Medium gatherings (10–15 people) lower thermostat 2°F. Big gatherings (20+ people) lower thermostat 3°F.
Example Holiday Scenario
You usually keep your house at 70°F. If you’re expecting 12 guests, 12 people = 2°F increase. Set thermostat to 68°F an hour before they arrive. The house will stay right around 70°F, but without feeling stuffy or overheated.
General temperature recommendations
It can get cold in NJ, furnaces that are well maintained can handle whatever a NJ winter can dish up, and modern furnaces can do it with peak efficiency.
Here are some general recommendations for temperatures to keep you, the family, and guests comfortable and warm this winter.
- Daytime gatherings: 70°F
- Cooking heavily: 68–69°F
- Evening relaxation: 70–72°F
3. Your biggest fans can give you the most comfort.
Utilize the fans in your home to create a comfortable environment for your guests.
Your furnace has a fan, most often it is kept on AUTO. For gatherings in the home, or even at times when allergen levels are high, set your fan to ON and let it continually circulate the air in every room, even when the heat is not on.
Ceiling fans: Most people get ceiling fan direction wrong and cause the furnace to work harder than it should. Use ceiling fans the right way in the winter, set fans to rotate in reverse (clockwise) on low, this will gently push warm air down. Proper use of the ceiling fan, combined with the furnace fan, prevents the room from feeling stuffy.
No matter the reason you gather with family and friends this winter, DMG Mechanical is always here to create a warm and comfortable environment in your home. From expert furnace repair in NJ, to indoor air quality, the HVAC trained and licensed experts at DMG are always just a call away.