A frosty morning commute can make for a chilly ride. If you are a driver who relies on the warmth of your vehicle’s heater to get through the day, here is a quick tutorial on how to turn on the heat in your car.

The heating system controls can look intimidating with their various dials and buttons, but they are actually pretty simple to operate. The first step is to start your vehicle and allow it to warm up, as indicated by the temperature gauge reaching the middle of its range. Then, you can switch to the heat mode on your climate control panel and set the desired temperature for the front passenger and driver side. The fan button serves as the heating system’s "on" button, while manipulating the temperature control will alter the blower speed, which can be beneficial in delivering heated air more evenly throughout your cabin.

If you have a newer vehicle, it may be equipped with dual climate controls, which will give you independent temperatures for the driver and passenger sides of your car. If this is the case, be sure to adjust both settings to your preferred temperature and then press the increase temperature button (or if using a digital display, simply push “higher” to amp up your heat).

Once you have the heater on, be sure to press the defrost button, which will ensure that all of the heater vents are open and circulating. Also, be sure that the vehicle’s windows are rolled up to help retain heat inside the cabin. It can take up to 10 minutes for a vehicle to fully warm up.