As fall comes screeching to a halt, winter is
quickly approaching with no mercy. Personally, I am the type of person who puts off
preparing for the winter until I am knee deep in snow taking the dog out for
his 4 am bathroom break.
Even if you're anticipating only ½ an inch of snow this season, preparing your home for winter with these simple steps will still save you time, energy, and money so a natural disaster doesn’t come knocking at your door.
Prepping Your Doors
& Windows
If replacing all of your
drafty doors and windows isn’t in the budget, insulating them is an affordable
and effective way to lower your energy bills this winter.
You can pick up window
insulation kits from your local hardware store or online. These kits typically come with heavy-duty, clear
plastic sheets and double edged tape. You’ll simply line the tape around the
outside of the door or window frame, then apply the sheets so they’re as tight
as possible to reduce infiltration. To reduce wrinkles, run a blow dryer 1-inch
from the film along the frame and window itself. Insulating and tight-fitting
drapes are also a sure way your home remains warm and draft-free. You can
also use caulk or rubber weather sealing to eliminate cracks commonly found in
door and window frames to ensure there’s zero leakage.
Clean Those Gutters
As the last leaf finally
plummets to the ground, it’s time to remove all the leaves, twigs, grime and grit that has
accumulated over the past several months. Neglecting to clean your gutters will
only cause you and your wallet more problems as ice dams can develop, causing
your drainage system to malfunction. If you thought that was bad, you may end up with water dripping onto your head while you sleep, as ice dams often cause leaks inside the home. Save yourself the stress
and clean them thoroughly. Follow up by running water through your gutters and
drains to ensure everything is in working order to avoid water and ice damage.
Furnace Upkeep
At the beginning of each
season, you should replace your furnace filter to ensure it’s working
effectively. If it’s an arctic winter, replacing the filter midway is best to
ensure your furnace is always running at peak performance. If you’re unsure of
what filter to use or how to replace it, consult with one of your local
independent energy experts.
Programmable Thermostat
Reducing energy usage is
a must when you’re at home, but what about while you're away? To prevent
wasting energy and walking into an igloo when you get home, utilize a
programmable thermostat. With a programmable thermostat, you’ll be able to
pre-determine your heater settings for when you’re home and when you’re away.
Doing so will take the workload off your furnace and greatly reduce your
heating costs.
The Sun
If it’s sunny during the
day, open the curtains on your south-facing windows to allow the natural
sunlight to heat your home. To contain the warmth, progressively pull the
blinds and curtains prior to the sun setting.
Insulating
So you’ve patched your windows
and doors, but your home is still drafty. Adding insulation to your attic and
crawlspaces will slow down heat transmission from inside to outside, therefore keeping your home warmer for longer periods of time.
Show Me The Light
As daylight becomes more
scarce, taking advantage of the right lighting is crucial. Since you don’t want
to stumble to get to your front door every night, invest in ENERGY SAVER
products and bulbs. Since you need to be prepared for rain and snow, ENERGY
STAR also makes CFL and LED flood lights that are ultra energy-saving. As an
extra perk, some ENERGY STAR products come equipped with automatic daylight
shut-off and motion sensors. To also bring in the holiday season with cheer,
use LED holiday lights to
decorate so you can spend more time with your loved ones, and not worry about
your energy bills.
The Energy Experts
Each
month The Energy Experts present a blog that shares helpful information on a
wide-range of topics that involves the intersection of home and health. Are you
concerned about energy savings, indoor air quality, home comfort and family
health issues? Then check in with The Energy Experts each month for more
valuable information on these important topics.
