I didn’t grow up in this area.

• In fact, I grew up thousands of miles away in a land that is full of sun, blue sky and very little winter weather.

When I was growing up, we might have to put on sweaters and flip the heat pump over to heating now and again during the winter. But really, that was the extent of the impact the winter weather had on us. So, it was quite an eye opener when I was relocated here after college. Initially, I just dealt with the so so HVAC in apartments. But when I bought my first house, I really learned that I had to prepare the home for the winter. If you don’t prepare the home, winter will be colder and more expensive. I learned this the hard way. My first house was a starter job that was built in the sixties. While the bones were good, it wasn’t exactly tight. I had a new HVAC furnace installed thinking that would be all it took to have a cozy, warm first winter. Well, the winter was neither warm nor cozy. And the HVAC heating costs nearly put me in the poor house. A work friend showed me how to prepare the house for winter the next year. It’s really just about making sure the house is sealed up tight. That means weather stripping, storm doors, extra insulation and keeping an ey on the exterior for gaps or cracks. The second winter in that old house was great. And, I must have saved over 25 percent on the HVAC heating bills.

HVAC repairman