When Should I Turn the Heat On?

It’s that time of year again in Michigan when houses become battle zones.  No, I’m not just talking about football season and who went to which university.  I’m talking about turning the heat on.

More often than not, someone in the home wants the heat turned on before others do.  Someone else is willing to don snow pants and a puffy coat inside before even going near the thermostat.  So how can you decide?  When should you turn the heat on?

When Do Others Turn the Heat On?

We have a few responses here from a recent survey about when people decide to turn up the heat.

Question:  At what point do you turn on your heat? Do you wait for a specific day or a specific temperature? Do you turn it off and on throughout the fall?

“In Michigan, as needed. Off, on, off, on….ac/c, heat, a/c, heat!”

“Turn it on sooner than we used to now that we have kids”

“I wait til I’m cold. Then it goes on 🤣 but…now we start it earlier with kids. Honestly I’m a wimp… below 71 in the house according to our thermometer and I’m too cold”

“We wait until we are cold. We make sure the kids are in the warmer pjs but we probably do turn it on sooner because of the boys.”

Is There a Right or Wrong Answer?

We recommend turning the heat on before temperatures dip down freezing outside in order to reduce the risk of your pipes freezing.  Other than that, when the furnace comes on is up to you and your family.

It is important to schedule an annual furnace inspection, even if you haven’t turned your furnace on in your home.  This ensures that everything is operating as safely and efficiently as possible.  You CAN turn on the furnace before having it inspected.

What about you?  When does the heat get turned on in your home?  Check out this post about the transition between cooling and heating.

Looking for more information about our residential heating services?  Contact us at FLAME Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, and Electrical.