PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Have you flipped on your heat yet? You might want to think about it as frosty weather returns to the Pacific Northwest over the next several mornings.
Early morning lows are expected to dip into the 30s for the first time in nearly 200 days. Frost advisories and freeze watches are in effect for much of western Oregon and Washington through Saturday morning. Now is the time to save the heat as winter bites at back at Portland for the first time this season.
There’s an easy way to keep the heat moving freely through your living space if you have a ceiling fan. Most fan models have a switch on them to change the direction of the spin.
During the summer, your ceiling fan should be turning counterclockwise. That helps cool your living space on a hot summer day.
During the winter, the heat that comes out of your furnace rises. Most of the warm air is wasted near the ceiling; however, changing the direction your fan spins will help pull the warm air away from the ceiling and help it circulate more freely in your living area.
In addition to the directional change of your fan, windows and doors should be tightly shut. Check for a cold draft under doors. If a draft is felt, using things like pillows or blankets put up against the draft will help slow the lose of heat.
Keeping blinds shut from sunset to sunrise will also help insulate your living space.
