With this week's cooldown, it's time to prep your furnace

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. – As temperatures are expected to fall into the 30s this week, many people will be firing up their furnaces for the first time in months. 

The changing seasons means a busy work day for service technicians like Mike Davis with Standard Heating and Air Conditioning.

"Last week I was fixing broken air conditioners, this week I'm fixing broken furnaces," Davis said.

Davis was dispatched to the home of Tony Ferrara in Mendota Heights on Monday.

"I started up my furnace last Saturday and the furnace wouldn't come on," Ferrara said.

Davis said there are a few common causes, from disconnected parts to clogged filters and pipes.

"A lot of these newer furnaces are really sensitive to air flow issues and things like that, so even if your heat is working but your filter is dirty, you aren't moving as much air, furnace is working harder than it should, and the harder it works the more chance of breakdown," Davis said.

During the off season, debris and small animals can make their way into pipes outside the home, so Davis said it's important to clear them before turning the furnace on.

The average cost to heat a home is expected to increase more than 17 percent this winter compared to last, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA).

Setting the thermostat a degree or two cooler could help cut costs.

"If you are going out of town or something like that, I wouldn't go lower than 60 degrees. Nowadays, 55, 50 [degrees] on the outside walls where your pipes are, they could freeze," Davis said.

Another good reminder: if you're firing up a space heater this week, make sure it's on the floor and at least three feet away from anything flammable. Space heaters cause about 1,700 house fires every year.