Cold Weather Is Here – Here’s How To Heat Your House Safely

We might not get snow in El Paso, but we can get some pretty cold days and nights. If you are thinking about getting your house's heater fired up or use space heaters to stay warm, here are some safety tips to think about:

1. Consider a professional - It will cost about $100 to get your furnace turned on and your swamp cooler put away for the winter. Getting your furnace cleaned and prepared properly and tested for carbon monoxide leaks is important for your family's safety so let a licensed company do the work so you can sleep easier.

2. Replace heater air filters - If you do turn your own heater on, it's important to make sure you do things like replace your filter to keep it working at peak efficiency. If you get a company to turn your heater on, make sure they change your filter.

3. Be careful with space heaters - Space heaters are great but they aren't supposed to be used when you're asleep or out of the house. They can overheat the area around them so don't put space heaters on carpet or near flammable materials like curtains. If you leave the room, turn it off and don't use space heaters while you're sleeping in case they overheat.

4. Do a Chimney Check - Chimneys can get clogged with leaves or even bird nests. If you are going to use your fireplace, get a chimney check. For the 20 years that I've owned my house I haven't been able to use my fireplace because the chimney needs to be rebuilt. Getting a professional out to check your chimney could prevent a catastrophic house fire. It's important to get a professional to look at it.