Shield Your Home this Winter with #AHSWinterMaintenance Tips

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- As the colder winter weather takes hold across the country, it's important for homeowners to ensure their heating systems are ready to stand up to the frigid temperatures. To help prevent unexpected breakdowns, American Home Shield, the nation's largest provider of home warranties, is offering five expert tips to maintain heating systems and help ensure homes stay warm.

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"Over the last five years, we responded to more than two million service requests for heating system issues, and with a few minor maintenance checks, many of these issues may have been avoided," said Mike Clear, vice president of operations for American Home Shield, a business unit of ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SERV). "With one of the nation's largest networks of independent service contractors, we take pride in our ability to keep customers warm if winter heating issues occur."

According to American Home Shield, here are five simple preventive steps to maintain your heating system and prepare yourself before freezing temperatures hit:

1. Schedule a Maintenance Check-Up: Have your heating system serviced by a qualified professional each year. If you've not done so already, call now to schedule your appointment. Not only can this help keep small issues from turning into bigger, costlier problems, but it can go a long way in extending the life of your system. 
2. Replace Filters: Regularly check your heating system's filters and replace them as necessary or at the manufacturer's suggested intervals. Ensuring the filters are clean can help cut energy usage and costs, as well as improve your home's overall indoor air quality.
3. Clean Heating Components Regularly: Keep easy-to-reach heating system components like air registers and radiator clean and unobstructed.
4. Seal the Leaks: Keep warm air in and cold air out by making sure door jambs, windows and such are properly caulked or have necessary weather stripping. Not only will this help you stay warm and comfortable, but it will reduce stress on your heating system.  
5. Consider a Home Warranty this Winter: A home warranty can be purchased at anytime and helps homeowners control unexpected repair or replacement costs when a covered item breaks down.

For more information and helpful homeowner tips from American Home Shield, please visit our website at www.ahs.com or our Home Matters Blog and YouTube Channel, which have hundreds of maintenance tips, videos and content for homeowners to help protect homes from the inside out. Or visit our video playlist of do-it-yourself tips on heating and furnace maintenance with national television personality and American Home Shield spokesperson, David Leon.

About American Home Shield
American Home Shield founded the home warranty industry in 1971 and remains the industry leader. American Home Shield, together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, services 1.6 million customers in all 50 states. The companies operate four customer service centers, employ approximately 1,800 employees and have a national contractor network made up of over 11,000 independent home service contractors and more than 45,000 service technicians. American Home Shield is a business unit of ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SERV), one of the world's largest residential and commercial service networks. Go to www.ahs.com for more information about American Home Shield or follow the company online at www.facebook.com/team.ahs or www.twitter.com/AHS_Warranty.

About ServiceMaster
ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SERV) is a leading provider of essential residential and commercial services, operating through an extensive service network of more than 8,000 company-owned, franchised and licensed locations. The company's portfolio of well-recognized brands includes American Home Shield (home warranties), AmeriSpec (home inspections), Furniture Medic (furniture repair), Merry Maids (residential cleaning), ServiceMaster Clean (janitorial), ServiceMaster Restore (disaster restoration) and Terminix (termite and pest control). We serve residential and commercial customers through an employee base of approximately 13,000 company associates and a franchise network that independently employs an estimated 33,000 additional people. The company is headquartered in Memphis, Tenn. Go to www.servicemaster.com for more information about ServiceMaster or follow the company at twitter.com/ServiceMaster or facebook.com/ServiceMaster.

Contact:
James Robinson | [email protected] | 901.597.7521
Molly Finnegan | [email protected] | 617.939.8347

SOURCE American Home Shield