What Should You Do To Winterize Your Home?

Winterization is a process every homeowner should stay on top of to ensure that energy bills remain low while the warmth stays high. These are seven things to do to contribute to improving heat retention during chilly seasons. 

1. Set the thermostat to a minimum temperature

One quick tip for keeping your energy bill down is to set your thermostat at the lowest temperature to keep your family warm. Typically, 65 degrees is warm enough for comfort. Turning it up to 80 degrees will make your heating system work much harder and boost your electric bill to astronomical levels. 

2. Have someone inspect your heating system

You can stay ahead of the season by having someone inspect your furnace and heating system for issues and perform the appropriate maintenance on them. Filter changes and other upkeeping tasks should be done before the harsh weather starts. That way, you can avoid getting let down by a non-working system when you need it the most.  

3. Get the insulation checked

The majority of heating problems and high electric bills come from poorly insulated rooms. The heat escapes, and the heating system has to go into overdrive to overcompensate for the air escaping. You can avoid this by having a professional check your insulation and then replace or restore it before the winter falls.  

4. Become familiar with caulk

As your home ages, you will see holes and cracks near the windows, air conditioning systems, and doors. You may even see such holes around your mail chute if you have one. Addressing these issues by caulking the holes will keep more warm air in your home.

You can stop by a home improvement store to find caulk and do the work yourself. Alternatively, you can contact a custom home builder who can provide the service and other work you might need. 

5. Let warm air hit your pipes

Another problem that often happens in the winter is frozen pipes that ice over once temperatures get below 32 degrees. A quick trick to combat that issue is to open your cabinets for a little while.

That will allow the warm air from your HVAC system to warm the pipes and prevent freezing. Taking that preventative step can save you a lot of money on plumbing repairs. 

6. Change your curtains

Another way you can winterize your home is by changing your curtains. Consider investing in thermal-lined drapes to keep even more of the heat inside. 

7. Clean your fireplace

You could always use your fireplace to stay warm. However, it would be wise to have someone clean it and inspect it before you put it into action for the winter. Contact a chimney sweep and have that person assist you in getting it ready for use. 

Those are a few of the many things on the to-do list before the winter starts. Get started on them immediately so that you’ll be all set when the breeze comes in and starts wreaking havoc on your home.  

Categorised in: Winterization

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