With winter just around the corner, now’s the time to make sure your home is ready to withstand the season’s harsh elements, both inside and out. Taking care of some essential things now can help save energy and keep you safe and warm all winter. Here are some important things to do:
Seal air leaks.
Hidden air leaks allow heat to escape, causing your heating system to work harder. Leaks around doors and windows are easy to feel. Hidden holes in attics and basements are harder to detect, however, so you may want to hire a contractor to measure the air leakage. Seal leaks with spray foam, caulk or weather stripping.
Check the heating system.
Dirt and neglect are major causes of heating equipment breakdown. Schedule an annual professional maintenance inspection to prevent this. Plus, clean or change your system’s air filters once a month.
Add insulation.
Insulation is measured by R-value, the ability to resist heat flow. The best investment is to add insulation to your attic and seal leaks in the attic floor. It’s an easy job that’s well worth the savings you’ll see.
Get a programmable thermostat.
These thermostats offer pre-programmed temperature settings that drop temperatures when you’re away and raise them when you’re home. Using a programmable thermostat in such a manner could save you up to 15% on your heating bill.
Clean the gutters.
Removing debris from your gutters helps prevent flooded basements, foundation problems and sagging gutters. If you want to prevent water damage, be sure you do this.
source: AHS
