CHARLOTTE -- Trying to warm up the house means the calls are coming in to both area HVAC professionals and town fire departments. It's a time of year when wrong moves could mean fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.

Service pros at Morris-Jenkins say they're working on winter furnace tune-ups, which includes a full-system evaluation and gas leak detection.

"[We] check components, check thermostats, disassemble and clean components," Tooker explained. "Whole goal is to make sure someone is safe."

If that baseboard or forced heat doesn't cut it and you need a blast of warmth, many turn to space heaters. Huntersville Fire explained those should be plugged directly into an outlet and kept three feet away from anything that could catch fire.

"Although it gets pretty cold at night, we recommend you use blankets and turn off heaters when you're in bed," said HFD Public Information Officer Bill Suthard. "Anything that runs on fossil fuels we recommend you don't run it unattended."

And while we all love a nice, hot shower, keep an eye on those water heaters, which Tooker said can be finicky.

"May be in a place where you don't see them all the time," added Tooker. "They develop leaks. You can have a major disaster on your hands in no time."

A cool-weather favorite, a wood stove or fireplace can always provide a toasty atmosphere, but it too should get a professional cleaning to make sure nothing's jammed in there.

"Make sure flue is open when you light it initially, otherwise your whole house will be full of smoke. That's carbon monoxide," said Suthard.

So when the chilly weather rears it's ugly head, ensuring your home is ready to bring the heat is ideal to have a nice and cozy winter.