As the weather cools and winter settles in around Hickory, NC, now’s the ideal time to make sure your home’s heating system and overall winter-readiness are in order. A few proactive steps now can keep your home comfy, energy bills down, and help prevent common winter headaches — especially when temperatures dip below freezing. Why December Matters for Home Heating In our region, winters can be unpredictable. One day may be mild, the next chilly and damp. That means your furnace or heat pump may move from occasional use to daily heating duty quickly. If your HVAC system hasn’t been tuned up recently, that sudden demand can reveal hidden issues — drafts, blocked airflow, inefficient heating, or even plumbing risks like frozen pipes. Getting ahead of the cold ensures a safer, more efficient, and more comfortable winter for your household. Winter-Prep Checklist: What Every Hickory Homeowner Should Do 1. Change or Clean Your Air Filter & Ensure Proper Airflow Dirty or clogged air filters are one of the most common reasons HVAC systems struggle during winter. Replacing or cleaning your filter before heavy heating begins helps your system breathe easier — improving airflow, reducing wear on the system, and keeping indoor air cleaner. Check your filters at least once every 1–3 months throughout the season. Also, make sure vents and returns are unblocked by furniture, rugs, or décor. Good airflow ensures that warm air circulates evenly throughout your home without overworking your heating system. 2. Test Your Heating System & Thermostat Before cold weather becomes constant, switch your thermostat to “heat” mode and test it. Confirm that the system starts up properly and circulates warm air consistently. If you use a programmable or smart thermostat, update the schedule for winter — lowering the temperature when you’re asleep or away and raising it before you return or wake up. This simple adjustment can significantly cut energy usage while keeping your home comfortable. 3. Seal Drafts, Check Insulation & Protect Against Heat Loss Even a top-performing HVAC system can struggle if warm air is escaping. Walk through your home and check for drafts around windows, doors, attic entries, crawlspaces, and other likely areas. Add weather-stripping or caulk as needed. Good insulation — especially in attics, basements, or crawlspaces — helps maintain warmth and reduces energy loss. Ensuring your home is well-sealed and insulated will keep heating costs down and comfort levels up all winter long. 4. Protect Your Plumbing from Cold Snaps Cold weather increases the risk of frozen or burst pipes — especially in unheated spaces like garages, basements, or crawlspaces. To protect your home: Insulate exposed pipes (in garages, basements or near exterior walls). Disconnect garden hoses and drain outdoor faucets. On particularly cold nights, let a faucet drip just slightly — moving water is less likely to freeze. Keep indoor temperatures at least modestly warm (55°F or above) if you’re away from home. These steps help prevent costly water damage and ensure your home stays functional through unpredictable winter weather. 5. Schedule a Professional HVAC Winter Tune-Up Even a well-maintained system benefits from a thorough, professional inspection before winter’s worst. A trusted technician can: Clean and inspect the heat exchanger or heat pump components, Test safety controls, electrical connections, and thermostat calibration, Check for airflow issues or duct leaks, Confirm overall efficiency so your system doesn’t have to work harder than necessary. Scheduling this now — before heating demand spikes — helps avoid emergency breakdowns mid-winter and often improves energy efficiency and system lifespan. Why Edmisten Heating & Cooling Should Be Your Winter HVAC Partner At Edmisten Heating & Cooling, we’re committed to helping Hickory and surrounding area homeowners stay warm, safe, and efficient all season long. We offer: Complete winter tune-ups and heating system inspections Air filter checks and replacements Advice and service for insulation, ductwork sealing, and draft prevention Plumbing protection guidance to avoid frozen-pipe issues Fast, reliable response whenever you need help Take a moment today to check your filters, test your thermostat, inspect for drafts, and schedule an HVAC tune-up. Protect your plumbing, seal up your home, and make sure airflow stays clear and efficient. Contact Edmisten Heating & Cooling now to book your winter service — and enjoy a worry-free, comfortable, and efficient home all winter long.

As the warmest summer days fade and the mountains begin to cool, many Boone homeowners assume that their HVAC system can quietly slip into a lower-gear mode. But in fact, this transitional period is one of the most important opportunities for boosting comfort, indoor air quality, system efficiency — and for extending your equipment’s life. In this post we’ll explore why the “shoulder season” (between summer and full winter) matters in the High Country, and how you can make smart tweaks with help from Edmisten Heating & Cooling to get more from your system. Why the Transition Season Is Critical in Boone In the High Country, temperature swings become more common: mild days, crisp mornings, cool evenings. Your HVAC system must adapt from high-cooling loads to heating loads — and everything in between. Because you’ll likely have fewer “extreme” events (full blast AC or full blast heat), the system may run less, but inefficiencies become more visible (cold spots, stale air, higher standby energy use). Homes often shift in ventilation patterns: windows may be open sometimes, closed other times; ceiling fans may be in use; insulation and drafts begin to matter more. These changes affect airflow, humidity, and indoor air quality. If you skip optimization now, you may pay for it later when full heating season hits — either in higher bills, discomfort, or earlier component failure. Three Smart Moves Homeowners Should Consider Now 1. Balance Your Airflow for Mixed-Weather Operation Even when you’re neither fully cooling nor fully heating, good airflow is crucial. If you begin noticing rooms that are warmer than others, vents being closed, or odd circulation patterns (especially in multi-level or attic/crawl-space homes common around Boone), now is the time: Inspect fl­oor-to-ceiling temperature differentials and see if upstairs is lagging. Make sure supply vents are open and return vents aren’t blocked. If you have zones or a multi-level home, a quick balancing check can reveal if your system is forcing extra runtime. This step helps avoid hidden inefficiencies before they worsen in full winter. 2. Use Humidity & Ventilation Wisely Your system isn’t just about temperature — especially in transitional months, indoor air quality and humidity begin to matter more. In Boone: Cooler outside air can tempt you to crack windows, but humidity and allergens may still be present. If you’re closing your home more (windows, doors) you may trap stale air, particulate matter, or even excess moisture in basements/crawlspaces. Consider upgrading the filter, clearing debris in return ducts, and verifying that your HVAC fresh-air or air-exchange components (if applicable) are functioning. A system optimized now will pre-empt many comfort complaints later (musty smells, cold damp spots, congestion/air-quality issues). 3. Rethink Thermostat Strategy & Standby Efficiency When days are mild but evenings are cool, your thermostat and how the system is scheduled become powerful tools. Some ideas: Switch the fan mode to “Auto” instead of “On” so that the system only circulates air when needed. Program your thermostat to account for daytime warmth and evening cool: allow the system to “back off” during warmer afternoons and ramp when temps drop, rather than keeping constant set-points. If you don’t yet use a smart thermostat, this is a great time to consider one — operational patterns are less extreme now, so the system can “learn” efficiently and you maximize value. The result: less wasted runtime, longer component lifespan, and more consistent comfort. Why Boone Homeowners Should Choose Edmisten Heating & Cooling Local expertise: Boone’s terrain, elevation and seasonal swings present unique HVAC challenges — the Edmisten team understands them. Comprehensive comfort approach: They don’t just “flip the switch” for heating or cooling; they consider airflow, indoor air quality, thermostat/humidity interplay, and the whole-home system. Proactive mindset: By optimizing now, you avoid urgent repairs later when costs jump and service availability thins. Trusted history: With decades in the High Country, Edmisten is a known local resource for homeowners who want reliable, efficient systems and better comfort all year long. Ready to Get More from Your HVAC System? Don’t wait until full-on winter to find out something’s off. Contact Edmisten Heating & Cooling today at 828-264-0130 or schedule a visit online . We’ll walk through your system’s current condition, make the right tweaks for the transitional season, and help your home deliver better comfort, cleaner air — and lower bills.