What to Do When Your AC or Heat Fails in Extreme Weather

Your system picked the worst possible moment to fail — a heat wave or a cold snap. Here's exactly what to do to stay safe and comfortable while help is on the way.

AC failure during a heat wave: your action plan

1. Move to your home's coolest spot — usually a basement or lowest floor, away from direct sun.
2. Close blinds and curtains on any sun-facing windows immediately — this alone can meaningfully slow the heat buildup.
3. Run fans for airflow. They don't lower the temperature, but moving air helps your body actually feel cooler through evaporation.
4. Hydrate, skip heavy meals and alcohol — both raise your body's internal temperature.
5. Check on vulnerable household members — infants, elderly residents, and anyone with a relevant health condition are at real risk in extended heat.
6. Have a backup plan ready — a family member's home, a library, a mall — if the repair wait will stretch into hours and indoor temps keep climbing.

Heat failure during a cold snap: your action plan

• Close off unused rooms to concentrate warmth where you're actually spending time.
• Layer clothing and blankets rather than relying on one heat source to do all the work.
• Let faucets drip slightly if it's near freezing, to help prevent pipes from bursting.
• Never use a gas oven or grill for heat — this creates a genuine carbon monoxide risk, every time.
• If using a space heater, keep it well clear of anything flammable and never leave it running unattended, especially overnight.

Why the Southeast catches people off guard both ways

Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina homes are generally built and insulated for heat, not deep cold — which means an occasional winter cold snap can hit these homes harder than the same temperature would hit a well-insulated Northern home. On the flip side, the region's summer humidity means a heat index that runs well above the actual thermometer reading, making AC failures more dangerous here than the raw temperature number would suggest. Both ends of the spectrum deserve more urgency here than the number alone implies.

What to tell the technician when you call

Mention how long the system's been down, your current indoor temperature, and whether anyone in the home is particularly vulnerable to the heat or cold. This genuinely helps prioritize your call appropriately.

Reducing the odds of a repeat

Most emergency failures show warning signs in the weeks before — inconsistent performance, odd noises, rising bills. Regular maintenance and addressing small issues early goes a long way toward keeping a bad situation from happening at the worst possible time.