How to Heat Your NYC Home Safely This Winter

December 10, 2020 by

Baby, it’s cold outside! Last month we discussed how to protect your household from deadly carbon monoxide fumes during the winter months. Now we want to touch on how to safely heat your NYC home this winter. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), space heaters, fireplaces, water heaters, stoves, and other heating units are leading causes of U.S. home fires. Use the safety tips and precautions below for a safe, warm winter.

  • Practice the 3-foot rule by keeping any flammable items at least three feet away from all heating equipment, including your water heater. Create a 3-foot “kid-free/pet-free zone” around open fires and space heaters. Invest in a baby play yard or fence system to maintain this distance.
  • Have an HVAC professional inspect your system and clean all the ducts at least once a year, but preferably twice before both the heating and cooling seasons. Also, change your furnace filter each month during the winter and remove all flammable materials from the area around your furnace.
  • Never leave space heaters unattended. Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed. Make sure to place your heater on a flat, level, non-flammable surface such as ceramic tile rather than on carpet. Plug space heaters directly into a wall outlet, not an extension cord. Your space heater should be completely cooled down before touching or moving it. 
  • Be careful when using an electric blanket for warmth. Do not cover or fold electric blankets when they are on. “Tucking in” an electric blanket can cause it to overheat and start a fire.
  • If you have a chimney, get it inspected annually for structural damage. Structural problems can allow high temperatures, sparks and embers to escape to combustible areas in walls, roofs or attics. Schedule regular cleanings to remove excess creosote from your chimney walls and ensure safe burning.
  • Smoke detectors and fire alarms alert your family to fire and dangerous smoke while there is still time to evacuate. To ensure proper function, test them at least once a month and replace the batteries at least once or twice a year.

By law, all New York City residential building owners must maintain indoor temperatures of 68 degrees during the day whenever outdoor temperatures fall below 55 degrees during the colder months. Overnight, indoor temperatures cannot fall below 62 degrees regardless of the outside temperature. If an apartment lacks appropriate heat and/or hot water, tenants should first attempt to notify the building owner, managing agent, or superintendent. If service is not restored, the tenant should register an official complaint via 311. Enforcing heat and hot water laws is just one of the many ways HPD Housing Inspectors help keep New Yorkers in safe and secure homes.

At Sentry Window Guards we make it our mission to help keep families safe. We hope these tips will keep your family safe and warm this winter. For more information regarding our window guard products and our experience and leadership in understanding NYC safety requirements, contact us today!

 

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6 Tips To Help You Winterize You And Your Family

January 10, 2019 by

New York City has already experienced frigid temperatures this winter season. Keep your home warm by setting your thermostat properly, reversing ceiling fans, and considering energy efficient windows. But what about “winterizing” you and your family? As we experience colder temperatures this winter, winterize yourself with these 6 tips:

Tip #1 – Dress in layers: You can always remove a layer when you are hot. Thanks to polypropylene and silk, long underwear provides additional heat without the bulky versions of the past. Wear warm socks or slippers to keep your feet warm.

Tip #2 – Move your body: Nothing warms the body up quicker than to get it moving. Run up and down the stairs a few times or grab your family and have a dance party in your living room. You’ll be shedding some of those layers quickly while having fun and doing your body good!

Tip #3 – Hot food and drinks: Feel your body instantly warm up by sipping on a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate. Add a bowl of hearty beef stew and a slice of warm bread to warm your insides and satisfy your palate!

Tip #4 – Kitchen heat: Get cooking and baking in your kitchen and you’ll be surprised how quickly it can help warm your home. Run your dishwasher during the day and open it up after the cycle to allow some of the warm steam to seep into your kitchen.

Tip #5 – Warm slumber: Dress warmly and have warm bedding. Flannel or jersey sheets are much more cozier than chilly percale sheets. Warm bodies rest better than shivering ones!

Tip #6 – Snuggle: Nothing is better than snuggling! Body warmth is almost as good as a heating blanket. Got no body or pet to snuggle with? Make a minimal investment in a body pillow or pull out that huge stuffed animal you won at the carnival in high school!

At Sentry Window Guards we make it our mission to help keep families safe. While our business is to help prevent falls from windows, we also recognize the importance of staying warm and safe this winter. For more information regarding our window guard products and our experience and leadership in understanding NYC safety requirements, contact us today!

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Keep Warmer this Winter | Tips to Keep Your House Warmer

December 12, 2014 by

Winter is officially upon us! The Sentry Window Guard family is pleased to offer these tips to keep your home warmer this winter season, saving you money and making your friends and family more comfortable.

  • Program your thermostat: Technology has come a long way, baby, and that includes when it comes to programming your home’s temperature. In fact, there are several thermostats that “learn” and automatically create programs optimized for your home and family needs. This Old House recommends programming your thermostat in the following manner. They also recommend keeping your home at a chill 55 degrees if you are out on vacation.
    • 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. = 68 degrees
    • 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. = 60 degrees
    • 5:30 to 11 p.m. = 68 degrees
    • 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. = 60 degrees
  • Keep warm air in by sealing leaks: The rising warm air in a home will pull in cool air from the outside through any gap it can find. Gaps are most commonly found in windows and doors. Old weather stripping, rickety doors and ill-fitting windows, especially in historical townhomes or in tall homes, can create quite a chill as the warm air moves further up and the cold air moves in. Replace your weather stripping and use door snakes or other tools to seal the leaks. You’ll be quite surprised at how much warmer an area will feel with the leaks sealed.
  • Close those doors: If you are not using parts of your home, whether for a few hours or several days, close the doors to create a warm space. You could even close off a room overnight so it will be toasty warm first thing in the morning.
  • Reverse your ceiling fans: Most ceiling fans have a switch that reverses the blade movement, thus pushing the heat down instead of up, up and away. Don’t waste that heat; leverage your existing fans to push it back down into your room.
  • Consider a portable space heater (carefully): Bankrate.com notes that it is a myth that portable space heaters are energy hogs. In fact, they can efficiently and economically heat a small space quickly. Stay safe, though, but doing what the National Fire Association suggests and clearing a 3 ft area around the heater, turning it off when not around, and not using an extension cord.
  • Redecorate with energy efficient window coverings: You probably put away flannel sheets and thermal clothing in the spring, but do you bring out the heavier window coverings in the winter? Covering your windows with heavier drapes can keep the warm in and the cold out. Bankrate.com reminds us to not let that fabric lay on radiators, floor registers or floor heating units.

Here at Sentry Window Guards, we know that a home is where your heart is, especially during the chilly winter months. Safety and comfort make staying in a pleasure! Consider using these tips to save some money and create a toasty environment, too.

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