With winter just about ready to make its cold presence known, ask yourself: Are you ready? Before it becomes uncomfortable for you to do so, give yourself some time to make sure your home is properly ready for winter. Winterizing your home is going to do a couple of things for you. Number one, it’s going to control energy and heating costs, and number two, it’s also going to help you avoid disasters that could be very costly to you, such as from frozen pipes or other catastrophes. And, of course, you’ll be much more comfortable even when it’s very cold outside if you do this.
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. Caulking is important, especially around gaps, cracks, or other spaces that are going to allow heat to get out and cold to get in. Areas to look at include around windows and doors, around the foundation, or in a porch area, for example. Seal things tight with caulking so that the heat stays indoors and doesn’t get out. In addition, you can seal your windows with plastic so that air won’t leak out and cold drafts won’t get in, during winter.
3. Add weather stripping around doors and windows to seal gaps where you cannot caulk.
4. Before winter sets in, turn off and then drain outside pipes and faucets so that they won’t freeze and crack or burst.
5. If you live in a mobile home or if you have a crawl space beneath your house, make sure you check all pipes under your home to make sure they’re well insulated and won’t freeze during very cold temperatures.
6. Ceiling fans can drive warm air down from the ceiling so that it’s actually used in the room. If you don’t have ceiling fans, install them and then run them on low all winter long.
7. Your furnace should be working properly; get it checked to make sure it’s doing so and especially to make sure that it won’t leak carbon monoxide into your house. Change the filter, which you should do every three months anyway. You should do it more often if you have pets or if it’s especially dirty when you check it at normal intervals.
8. If you have air-conditioning units in your windows, take them out and store them for the winter. Windows should be closed and sealed to make sure that warm air doesn’t leak out during the winter months. If you have central air conditioning, cover the unit so that moisture stays out of it off-season.
9. If you have “old-fashioned” windows, take off screens and replace them with storm windows for the winter.
10. Plants should be trimmed back after the first frost and trees should be pruned, too. If you dig bulbs up, do so, and cover shrubs and delicate plants with old sheets or blankets, then cover up further with a plastic container like a garbage can that has been turned upside down.
It takes a little time, but properly preparing your home for the winter months will pay off nicely in energy savings and a higher comfort level.