Is your furnace working full time but you still feel chilled? While some feelings of cold can be caused by your own level of activity and the age of your home, you'd be surprised how much the health of your HVAC system can affect the comfort level of your home. Here are some reasons why your house might still feel cold even when the heat is running.
1. Your house is too dry.
Over the course of the winter, the air in your becomes drier and drier. The furnace dries it out a little, but the air around your home naturally has less moisture in it as well. The combination means your thermostat could say 70 degrees, but you're still shivering under a blanket. Your home just needs a little more moisture to help the air hold onto heat a bit longer. Water increases the overall heat capacity of an environment, so even though wetter air will take a bit longer to feel warm, once it is warm, it stays that way and allows you to bask in comfort. You can have a whole house humidifier installed, but a simple cold-mist humidifier from the store can also make a difference in a room.
2. Your ceilings are high.
You might not think about running your ceiling fans in the winter time, but if you have a room with vaulted ceilings, all the warmest air is up near the ceiling instead of down near the floor making you comfortable. By running your fans on slow speed, you push the warm air gently back down the to the floor.
3. Poor ductwork.
Your furnace might be working like a champion, but with leaky, inefficient ducts, your rooms might only be getting a portion of that warmed air. Does your basement feel warmer than the rest of your house, or are you finding "pockets" of warm air in closets or in other areas where ducts run? This could mean your ducts need to be sealed. Sealing and cleaning your ducts can also help with air conditioning effectiveness in the summertime.
4. Your furnace is not right for your home, or it needs to be replaced.
Just because your furnace is running, does not mean it's operating ideally. A furnace that is too small for a house will struggle to bring it up to temperature, especially during very cold days. Similarly, a furnace that is old may not be able to keep up with modern heating demands. See a heating company like Robison Air about getting a new furnace that is sized correctly for your home.
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