In the Rochester area and surrounding counties the weather keeps changing – it’s warm, it’s cold, it’s warm again – but soon the cold days will be upon us for good. Save money this winter and help the environment by winterizing your home. It’s easy to do, and you’d be surprised
how these simple steps can make a big difference in your utility bill and your comfort level.
1. Get your furnace inspected. Furnaces should be cleaned and tuned by a professional annually. It’s not an expensive service, and it will keep your furnace running efficiently and safely. Remember to change furnace filters often.
2. Check your home for air leaks. Especially around doors and windows. Adding weather stripping and insulation is one of the easiest things you can do. Add weather stripping around doors and caulk or foam around gaps in windows to help keep the warm air inside.
3. Insulate your attic and crawl spaces. A little extra insulation in your home’s attic or crawl space can save you a lot of money in heating bills. You need at least 11 to 12 inches of insulation in your attic. Since ceiling joists are about that high, you know you need to add more insulation if you can see the ceiling joists.
4. Get your duct work checked. A home with central heat can lose up to 60% of its heated air before that air reaches the vents if ductwork is not well-connected, sealed or insulated. That’s a huge waste of money.
5. Reverse the direction of your ceiling fans. This pushes hot air down and re-circulates it through the house.
6. Move furniture off your vents. How easy is that?!
7. Wrap your pipes. If you’re worried about your pipes freezing and bursting, wrap pipes in areas that are not heated with pre-molded foam rubber sleeves or fiberglass insulation. Wrapping the pipes leading into and out of your home can help prevent water damage and possible flooding too, especially in basement or crawl space areas.
8. Take the hoses off the spigots. Water expands as it freezes, and any water that’s trapped in pipes has the potential to split them as it cools. Store your hoses in the garage for the winter.
9. Clean the chimney. Before starting that fireplace, make sure the chimney is clean and your smoke detectors are working and have fresh batteries. And everyone in the family should know where your fire extinguisher is and how to properly use it.
10. Shut the door. Have guest rooms or other rooms you don’t use? Close the vents in those rooms and shut the doors.
11. Clean the gutters. Avoiding water overflows especially in icy or snowy conditions. Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees by now. Keep an eye on the gutters and downspouts to be sure they’re clear of leaves and are draining properly.
12. Invest in a programmable thermostat. Program your heating system exactly the way you want it, so that your house isn’t heating when nobody is at home.
Remembering these important home winterization tips each year before winter starts will help you prepare your home to be warm, energy efficient and safe – even if the weather outside turns frightful.
Don’t forget to share these great tips with friends, family and co-workers. We’re sure they would appreciate the energy efficiency and safety reminders.
ProTech Home Inspections wishes you and yours a happy and healthy Holiday Season.
Warmest regards,
Bill Richards
ProTech Home Inspection, Inc.
(585) 377-3876
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