As climate change pushes Texas temperatures higher, homeowners and heating professionals alike are facing a new reality. A recent Texas Tribune analysis found that record-breaking heat is becoming the new normal in Texas, with dangerous summer heat waves spreading from the Mexican border to Dallas. Over the last decade, Texas weather stations recorded over 1,600 days of record-high temperatures, more than 1,000 above the previous average. These trends aren’t limited to summer: fewer record-cold days are being observed statewide.
This climate shift has profound implications for home heating and energy use. We traditionally think of heating systems in terms of winter comfort, but hotter summers and milder winters force us to rethink home heating and energy strategies. For example, extreme heat is straining the state’s electric grid (as air conditioners run flat-out) and reducing the window for power plant maintenance. Yet this same heat can mean a shorter heating season and new choices in how we heat homes (often with all-electric systems).
In this guide, we write as heating-system professionals to help Texas homeowners adapt. We draw on Texas Tribune reporting, energy experts, and government sources to explain what record heat means for your furnace, heat pump, thermostat and insulation. We also give practical home-improvement advice — on attic ventilation, sealing ducts, and weatherization — and point out Texas-specific incentives (from federal tax credits to local utility rebates) to make those upgrades affordable. We’ll even compare what works best from the humid Gulf Coast to the dry Panhandle. Our goal is to leave you informed, empowered, and ready to make your home more comfortable and efficient in the age of extreme heat....
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