| Top Ten Things You Can Do To Winterize Your Home |
| Articles - Savings |
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With winter just around the corner, you need to make sure you're ready for those chilly temperatures. Before winter actually gets here, take a little time and make sure your home is properly with her wise. If you do this, you'll not only control your heating and energy costs, but you may also prevent cold-weather problems like frozen pipes or other disastrous situations. Even better, these things are going to make your home very comfortable even if it's showing subzero temperatures outside.
With winter just around the corner, you need to make sure you're ready for those chilly temperatures. Before winter actually gets here, take a little time and make sure your home is properly with her wise. If you do this, you'll not only control your heating and energy costs, but you may also prevent cold-weather problems like frozen pipes or other disastrous situations. Even better, these things are going to make your home very comfortable even if it's showing subzero temperatures outside. 1. Take a look at your ceiling and attic insulation. These two places should have adequate insulation in them, so that you don't invite cold air in through your roof or let hot air escape. The US Department of Energy tells you what the "R-value" should be for your home, based upon where you live and what your expected low temperatures are for the winter. If you type "R-value insulation" into an Internet search engine, you should be able to access a chart that shows you what you need to know. If you add the necessary insulation you need now, you can be sure your house is insulated well before the cold weather arrives. 2. Caulk around cracks, gaps, or other spaces that allow heat to escape from your home. This could be in your foundation, around windows or doors, or in a porch area. Seal things up tight so the heat you pay for stays inside the house. You can also seal windows with plastic to prevent air from leaking out around them and cold drafts from coming in during the winter. 3. Add weather stripping around doors and windows to seal gaps where you cannot caulk. 4. Turn off any outside water faucets and drain them to prevent outside faucets and pipes from freezing and cracking or bursting. 5. If you live in a mobile home or you have a crawl space underneath your house, go underneath to make sure that the pipes under your house are well insulated so that they won't freeze during the winter. 6. Install ceiling fans in your home and plan to run them on the low setting during the winter months. Ceiling fans can help re-circulate warm air down from the ceilings to where it will be better appreciated in the room. 7. Make sure your furnace is working properly so that you won't have problems with carbon monoxide leaking into your home, by placing a service call. You should also plan to change the filter -- which, in fact, should be changed every three months, or more if it's dirty when you check it or if you have pets. 8. Remove any air conditioning units from windows in your home and store them properly for the winter. Ensure windows are closed up properly and sealed to ensure you do not have warm air leaks during the winter. If you have a central air conditioning unit, cover it to keep the moisture out of it during the off-season. 9. If you have old-fashioned windows that utilize screens, remove and replace them with storm windows and doors for the winter. 10. Trim back plants after the first frost and prune any trees, as necessary. Dig bulbs if applicable. Cover delicate plants and shrubs with an old blanket or sheet and then a plastic container such as an upside down garbage can. It can take just a little bit of your time, but making the proper preparations for the winter months in your home will make you more comfortable and will give you some energy savings, too. DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice. Author: Jerry Dyess has specialized in Texas Electricity for the past 7 years. Get more information on Texas Electric rates. |