Do you have a cold room and can’t get it warm? What point do you consider yourself an expert, both technical and legal? -LocalNews8.com

As temperatures drop, more and more of us turn on the heat. Despite all the conveniences of modern heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology, there always seems to be a room that can’t get warm.

“You should have a consistent feel throughout the home,” says Greg Phillips, HVAC sales and service manager for Advanced Home Solutions. “If there is a temperature difference, it could be the plumbing, maybe the vents are closed, or there may be a problem with the equipment.”

Phillips says it’s normal for there to be minor variations between rooms, but if it’s dramatic enough that you feel the need to change clothes between rooms, it’s worth calling an expert.

Knowing whether to call an HVAC professional or someone else can come down to a “feeling test.” If you feel heated air flowing through the vents but the room is still cold, there is most likely an insulation problem. If the vent is blowing cold or not blowing at all, call an HVAC specialist.

“There could be some issues with the plumbing, whether it’s sizing or something else,” Phillips said. “A lot of times they (HVAC installers) put in something called dampers that allow them to restrict the air, and sometimes they forget to open them when they install it. And sometimes if they use flexible ducts instead of hard pipes, they could get pinched or cut off.

According to Phillips, most HVAC installers will work with customers to make their home as comfortable as possible.

However, there are rare cases where people have thousands of dollars of work done and their home is still not comfortable. Attorney Preston Atamanczyk, owner and managing attorney of Idaho Consumer Law, says there may be legal options.

“The law says that any product or service that someone represents, but that product or service is not what they portrayed it to be, may be in violation of this consumer protection law,” Atamanczyk said.

Atamanczyk says the key is to have everything in writing.

“There must be an actual contract between the parties before the Consumer Protection Act can be invoked,” Atamanczyk said. “And he (the consumer) also has to pay compensation. This usually involves financial compensation. If he has those two things, he can make a claim.”

Even then, Atamanczyk says in most cases he encourages the parties to resolve their dispute without resorting to the courts, as this can be a lengthy process.