Winterize your home by checking the windows and doors for drafts or cold air entry.
Summer is almost over, and fall is quickly approaching. Now is the time to start thinking about ways you can conserve energy and save money by winterizing your home ahead of the cold months that are coming.
The first step you will need to do is to perform a thorough evaluatioin of your home. Some utility companies provide this as a free public service, or charge you a nominal fee. If this service is not available in your area, you can perform your own evaluation.
Start with the windows and the doors. Provided your home is well-insulated otherwise, these are the main sources of cold air drafts and entry. Check every window and door and look for cracks or broken glass. Replace any broken window glass. Don't forget to check your basement and attic windows too.
Check around each window and door and look for openings around the frames where cold air can enter your home. Fill any cracks or small openings with weatherproof caulking. Then, check the windows themselves to see if they fit tightly in the frames and provide an airtight seal when they are closed. If not, you can purchase and apply weather-stripping to the sashes. For doors. you can purchase weather-stripping which is applied around the door frame, as well ad draft stoppers which are applied to the bottoms of the doors.
If your windows are old and very drafty, you can ourchase heavy-duty, clear plastic. Simply cover each window with the plastic and tape it or staple it to the window frame. This is an economical, yet effective way to keep the winter winds outside, and still allow you to see through the window glass.
Next, check and clean-out all of your home's gutters and downspouts. Make sure they are in good condition and free from debris so that melted snow can move freely through them and drain away from the foundation of your home.
Now it's time to go inside and start on the interior of your house by checking your plumbing. Cover any exposed pipes, especially in your basement or cellar, withe insulation to avoid frozen, broken pipes. You can purchase special insulated coverings which simply slide over the pipes.
Next, you need to hire a professional to prepare your heating system for its upcoming use. This service should include cleaning, checking, and lubricating the furnace, as well as changing the filters, if there are any. Youwill also need to have the chimney cleaned out well. Don't forget, of your home used a forced-air heating system, to have the entire duct system vacuumed out thoroughly. You can do this type of maintenance work yourself, but unless you have the proper tools, and don't mind getting dirty, it's a good idea to hire this work out.
Lastly, it is a wise idea to prepare your home for winter by keeping an adequate supply of bottled drinking water, canned food, extra blankets, and several working flashlights-with extra batteries- on hand in case your home is without electricity for an extended period of time.
You might even choose to purchase a kerosene heater in order to provide emergency heat in your home during an outage. Some people, especially those who live in the coldest regions,choose to use a generator as an effective back-up for times when their homes are left without electricity.
