Winterizing your home

Winter-Proofing Your Home

Fall may have just begun, but now is the best time to get your home ready for the winter season. Prepare your home now before the inclement weather is upon us.

Things You Must Do To Prepare Your Home For Winter!

 

1. Seal drafty windows and doors: Drafts can waste 5%-30% of your energy usage. Use weather stripping to seal the drafts from windows and doors. For a cheap solution for windows, install clear plastic over the affected window.
2.  Insulate: Not only does insulation keep your home warm; it also prevents your pipes from freezing during winter storms. Be sure to insulate the water pipes that run along exterior walls and know where the shut off valve is, in an emergency you will be glad you know!
3. Schedule routine maintenance: now is the perfect time to call a HVAC professional to service your heating system and make sure it’s in proper working order.
4. Inspect your fireplace: Before you burn your first fire, inspect and clean your fireplace and chimney to ensure that no critters have made a home there during the warm spring and summer months. To keep heat inside, close the damper when your fireplace in not in use.
5. Monitor indoor air quality: people are more susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning in the winter due to the colorless, odorless gas being emitted from many heating appliances. A carbon monoxide detector monitors levels in the home and will alert you if levels become unsafe.

 

 

3 easy ways to SAVE Energy and Money this Winter

 

1. Reverse the rotation of your ceiling fan to a clockwise motion. This forces warmer air down, which can reduce your heating cost by as much as 10%!!
2. Seal drafts from under doors with a rubber strip or a cloth draft snake.
3. Close off rooms that aren’t in use to save heat.

 

 

 

 

 

PREPARE Your Landscape and Home Exterior for Winter

Your Home:

1. Clear the gutters of falling leaves and other debris.
2. Repair leaks in your roof, gaps around your chimney and other openings.
3. Cover t he outdoor parts of your air conditioning unit. Drain water from your a/c unit, and seal any areas where animals could crawl under the house.
4. Clear debris from the foundation, and seal any areas where animals could crawl under the house.

 

Your Landscape:

1. Get rid of dead tree branches, which can break off in heavy snow and ice and damage you or your neighbor’s roof, siding, gutters, decks, automobiles and anyone who happens to walk by.
2. Make sure your winter tools are in working order, including your snow blowers, shovels or snow brushes. And put away the lawnmower; you won’t need that for a few months.
3. Shut off the water supply to the outdoor spigots and sprinkler system if you live in an area that experiences the freeze and thaw cycle in the winter.

Your Garden:

1. Spread mulch in your gardens. Mulching in the winter protects your garden by maintaining a steady temperature that keeps the plants from growing during warm spells.
2. Plant spring bulbs; you’ll be glad you did when they emerge in the spring. If you live in an area with frigid winters, plant bulbs in early November so that they have time to begin growing roots.
3. Move potted plants indoors or to the porch.

 

Your Car:

1. Service your radiator and check your tires. If necessary, think about buying all-weather or snow tires.
2. Keep your gas tank full to ensure that no ice builds up, or add dry gas, an alcohol-based fuel additive, to your tank when you fill up to prevent water particles from freezing.

 

1. Change to winter-formula windshield washer fluid.

 

1. Pack an emergency kit for your car. Be sure to include blankets, flares, cat littler or sand, flashlights, a battery-powered radio, a first aid kit and a small snow shovel.