HERE’S 5 EASY STEPS YOU CAN DO TO GET YOUR HOME READY FOR WINTER
These easy steps will help make your home more energy efficient, plus save you money over the chilly winter months.
Winter is HERE and we are now experiencing our first taste of the fridge cold, relentless winds and endless snowfall. This time of year is when we experience hikes on our utility bills fortunately, by taking a few simple steps you can be sure that your home will run greener and pocket books fuller.
Mind the GAPS & Seal up those hidden leaks.
The most common area’s for heat loss is around our windows, and doors upwards of 40% of heat loss is through air leakage. One of the simplest ways to retain heat the heat & eliminate the air flow is to by installing proper weather-stripping and caulking around the house.
An easy way to find hidden drafts around the home is to hold a lit stick of incense around baseboards, light fixtures and electrical outlets – a strong leak will make the stick glow brighter and blow the smoke away, while smaller leaks will puff the smoke in a distinct direction.
What kind of Thermostat does your house have?
Most people don’t understand how wasteful the use of an none programmable thermostat can be, when your house is empty why keep the furnace running when there is know one home to enjoy it? To help keep your cost down and your wallet flush.
With the technology today we are able to do everything on our smart devices or WIFI networks, temperature controls can be added to this list. We have noted how highly recommended the use of a programmable thermostat can be when you are asleep or away at work, with a few simple steps you can have your furnace programmed to lower the heat automatically in your absence and to have it reprogrammed so that when you arrive back at home or wake up the heat is back to comfortable levels.
Add insulation – BUT BE CAREFUL in YOUR ATTIC
Before going into to much detail, when entering your ATTIC be extremely careful, ensure you locate the joist to ensure you don’t damage the roof below OR injure yourself by falling through the roof.
Increasing the thickness of insulation in your attic & crawl spaces can help save upwards of 25% of your heat loss in one simple step. If you enter your attic and find that your insulation measures less than 20 centimeters of fiberglass or rock wool, or 15 centimeters of cellulose, it would be in your best interest to invest in additional insulation.
If you do not feel that purchasing or upgrading your insulation than you are in luck here’s some easy and Eco-friendly alternatives; Eco-friendly cotton, recycled newsprint or soybean oil based products.
Your home has GUTS & it needs up keep in the WINTER.
Head down to your basement it’s time check your furnace, and water heater to ensure both are running accordingly. A simple call to a professional for seasonal clean and inspection each fall, will help your furnace burn cleaner, last longer and work more efficiently.
A few other tips to make sure everything is running smoothly are:
- Wrap your water heater in an insulating blanket and insulate exposed hot water pipes.
- Change your filter every two months in the winter.
ELIMINATE your RISK of DAMAGE & LEAKS
Help melting snow and ice to flow freely, and prevent ice dams that can cause water damage to your home’s roof and walls be sure every fall to clean up & remove any leaves, branch, nest and debris to the gutters and down spouts.
At the same time of your fall clean up, its a good time to head inside and shut off any exterior waterlines be closing the water valves & blowing out or bleeding the lines. Take this necessary step will make sure that no excess water leftover in the pipes will freeze or expand during the winter months causing cracked pipes, water damages & major repairs in side your home.
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