Six Secrets to Help Winterize Your Home

Winter time can wreak havoc on your home if you haven’t prepared for the colder temperatures. Here are some useful tips for winterizing your home before the thermometer dips into single digit temperatures – or lower!

1. Clean leaves and other debris from your gutters. If water can flow freely through your gutters, you won’t have to worry about icicles forming this winter. The weight of ice can cause severe damage to your home if your gutters become separated and/or twisted.

2. Do you use ceiling fans in summer to keep your home cool? Ceiling fans can help out with the winter heating bill as well. If your ceiling fans circulate in a clockwise direction, they will push the hot air that rises to the ceiling back down towards the floor. In the summer, you can change the blades back into the counter-clockwise circulatory pattern with a simple press of a button or flip of a switch on most models.

3. Draft guards can help save heat from escaping under the door and around windows. These can be purchased at your local discount store for under $5 each, or you can simply place a rolled towel or small blanket at the bottom of an exterior door or on a windowsill.

4. To improve the effectiveness and endurance of your central air and heating system, be sure to regularly change the filters with every change of season. This will also help improve the quality of your indoor air, which is all the more important during the winter months, when we tend to spend more time indoors.

5. According to the US Department of Energy, you can save as much as 1% on your energy bill for every degree you lower your home’s temperature during the winter. Installing a programmable thermostat can assist you in moderating the temperature in your home while you’re away at work or on vacation, saving you money while you enjoy the holidays.

6. If you are not using your fireplace, consider closing the flue to keep cold air out, and prevent warm air from escaping up the chimney. When you are using your fireplace, an insert can help direct warm air from the fire into your home to help reduce the load on your furnace.