It’s the “Worst Thing That Can Happen During the Winter”—a home furnace that suddenly stops heating. If it’s a cold day, this can be a serious emergency.
What to Do When Your Furnace Fails
When your furnace stops working, try these steps before calling a pro:
- Check whether the whole house still has power
- Confirm thermostat settings and that it’s powered on
- Inspect your circuit breaker panel for a tripped switch
- Make sure the gas line valve is open
For older furnaces, see if the pilot light is out
What do you do when you’ve got a cold furnace? The right answer is: “Call an HVAC professional to repair it.” But that’s only part of the right answer. There are some checks you can make first to see if the furnace stopped working for a simple reason. Once you’ve eliminated these basic mistakes and errors, you can reach out to a professional to come in and find out what caused the furnace to fail and then fix it.
When the time arrives for a new installation of a 
We’re now in what we in the HVAC business call “heating season.” It’s when home heaters turn on and work steadily all the way through the early spring—and sometimes longer than that.
Even people who like winter more than any other season don’t like seeing utility bills start rising as the temperature begins dropping. It’s true you can’t avoid paying higher energy costs during the winter because of all the work your home’s central heating system must put in (and the water heater does more work as well). However, you can cut down on those costs with some basic steps.
The furnace is the most common type of central heating system, but in our area there are many homes that rely on boilers. Boilers are often found in homes that don’t have a network of ventilation ducts, since a boiler works by circulating hot water through pipes to terminal points (radiators, baseboard heaters) where the heat then radiates into the rooms.
You don’t need us to tell you how important a working furnace is in this part of the country. We deal with harsh winters, and they can sometimes stretch into April. A home’s furnace is essential for getting a family through even a single day of winter.
Gas boilers are one of the best ways to enjoy comfort through even the chilliest of winters. They are highly energy efficient and can last for many years.
Our recent weather has been rainy and in the 40s. That’s much warmer than during the dead of winter, but it’s certainly not a full spring thaw. But these are probably the last few weeks you’ll be using the furnace until fall. You don’t necessarily need to shut the unit down since most furnaces now use electronic ignition systems and won’t waste power using a standing pilot light. But you also should make sure the furnace doesn’t have any lingering repair issues before you stop using it.