Home Heating Safety and Tips
As the weather turns suddenly bitter cold with howling winds and the promise of snow, many will turn to using space heaters as an additional source of heat in drafty rooms. While a space heater might be just the remedy for those challenging spaces on extra chilly days, please bear in mind that they also pose a certain hazard. The U.S. Fire Administration states that half of all home heating fires happen in December through February and that space heaters account for one-third of home heating fires.*
With proper precautions, space heaters can be a safe auxiliary to your regular home heating system when and where you really need them. First and foremost, it’s important to read and adhere to the manufacturer’s guidelines on how and where to safely operate the space heater. They should never be used too close to combustible materials, such as drapery, clothing or bedding, which could ignite and spread fire throughout the home. Space heaters should also have a cord that is in good condition (not frayed or chewed) and adequate to carry the electrical load. Some extension cords are not adequate and could overheat and cause a fire.
Some of you might also turn to wood-burning fireplaces as an additional source of heat to take the chill off a room. Failure to clean the creosote that builds up inside the chimney is a leading cause of home fires. Make sure your fireplace chimney is cleaned once a year by a professional chimney sweep and that you use a glass or metal mesh screen in front of the fireplace opening to prevent hot cinders from escaping into the room.
We hope that when the wind is howling outside your windows that you and your loved ones are toasty and safe inside.
Give Hillside HVAC a call today so you can be prepared this winter! DE: 302-738-4144. In MD: 410-398-2146
(*Ref: US Fire Administration, usfa.fema.gov)
Charlie’s safety tips checklist:
- Keep combustible items (clothing, curtains, upholstery, bedding, rugs, etc.) 3 feet or more from space heaters and fireplaces.
- Make sure power cords for heating sources are adequate to handle the electric load so they don’t overheat and cause a fire.
- If using an alternative heater that requires fuel, such as kerosene, never refill it while hot and always refuel it outdoors using only the fuel recommended by the manufacturer.
- Never use a kitchen range as a source to heat your home. It is a fire hazard!
- Make sure you have a smoke detector on every level of your home, and replace the batteries every 6 months to ensure they’re working.
- Have a CO alarm in your home to detect deadly, invisible carbon monoxide gas, especially if you use a backup power generator.
Read more safety tips online at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/index.shtm.
Recent testimonials from Hillside customers
Hillside is always proud to boast when our employees receive rave reviews from customers. Our heating service department has been busy working on no heat repairs and routine maintenances. This is by far the busiest time of the year for our heating department. Here are a few recent testimonials from customers of Hillside’s heating maintenance, repairs, and installations.
“Matt is professional, knowledgeable, and refreshingly personable. I am very pleased with his demeanor.” –Barbara G.W. 1/15/2014
“Your service is excellent! Thanks so much!” -Kate S. 1/14/2014
“Matt was very professional and thorough. His detailed feedback was appreciated.” –Paul P. 1/10/2014
If your heating system is in need of repair, replacement, or maintenance, mention this email and receive $50 off the standard rate of a service call! We promise YOU will be the next Hillside customer writing a positive testimonial.
Give Hillside a call for prices and options: DE: 302-738-4144 or MD: 410-398-2146
Automatic delivery of home heating oil is a service provided by Hillside to allow customers peace of mind that their tank will never run low, or out. This eliminates the need for our customers to monitor their heating oil tank and avoids last-minute scrambling, or worrying about emergency deliveries. Scheduling for automatic delivery is done by the use of degree days. Hi-tech computer algorithms calculate usage and delivery dates based on previous weather conditions, in combination with past usage history of your home. Summed up, automatic heating oil delivery is our customers’ worry-free way to ensure that you always have heating oil when you need it. The current cold temperature and anticipated snowstorm have sent many of our customers in a frenzy. Last minute deliveries can sometimes be accommodated, but they cannot always be counted upon. Consider letting Hillside monitor and make automatic deliveries, and you can eliminate checking your heating oil tank and worrying about a run-out situation. In today’s hectic world it is nice to remove things from your to-do list.
Holidays are a time to gather with friends and family. It is also a time for chatting, catching up on our lives, and sometimes even gossiping. This is happening all over, and Hillside is flattered to have come up in conversation. 2 Hillside customers have earned referral CASH recently. Congregating with our families and friends can sometimes be stressful for conversation topics. A couple people we know have broken the tension, made it a few minutes further along in their evening, AND earned $50. We would like to believe that our customers are so happy they just cannot contain their praises of Hillside. We realize that our customers may have been stuck in such an awkward Holiday moment that talking about heating oil and/or their heating and air conditioning company became a welcome distraction. Regardless of the situation, we here at Hillside are honored to have been a part of the conversation. Word of mouth and recommendations will ALWAYS be the most powerful and complementary form of advertising.
Warning, this is long-winded and boring, continue reading at your own risk. I have been telling the stories of the Hillside pen for years. We started giving away a pen at the Cecil County Fair about 10 years ago, simply because it was the cheapest give-away pen at the time. The following year we still had the same pen. Several people stopped by our booth to get another because they liked the pen they got from Hillside last year. Seemed odd to me, but OK, thanks for stopping by and saying hello. Here it is 10 years later and dozens of people come by our booth each year at the Fair to re-up on their Hillside pens. Many customers come to our office and ask for our pens. I hear story after story of how this is the “best writing pen” people have ever encountered. It felt like a practical joke on me, but with no possible punchline. Regardless, for some reason, people really love the pens we give away.
Change your air filter regularly. Depending on what type of air filter you have, it should be checked or changed every 1-3 months. Even if you have the expensive cleanable air filters that last an entire year, it is still worth a minutes time to give it a check for dirt or anything that might block airflow.
Congratulations to Becca for winning the giant container of candy, $20, and an upcoming dentist appointment! Becca showed up yesterday to pick up her treasures, pose for pictures, and answer questions from the paparazzi. Unfortunately Charlie the Dog took the day off work and was not available for the photo shoot. Becca and everyone I know had a great time at the Cecil County Fair last week. If you did not make it, put the fair on the calendar for next year. One last time, thank you to everyone that stopped by to say hello.
