Top Ten Things You Can Do To Winterize Your Home
With winter just about ready to make its cold presence known, ask yourself: Are you ready? Before it becomes uncomfortable for you to do so, give yourself some time to make sure your home is properly ready for winter. Winterizing your home is going to do a couple of things for you. Number one, it's going to control energy and heating costs, and number two, it's also going to help you avoid disasters that could be very costly to you, such as from frozen pipes or other catastrophes. And, of course, you'll be much more comfortable even when it's very cold outside if you do this.
1. Check and see how much insulation is in your attic and ceiling. If you don't have adequate insulation in your house, cold air may leak in through your roof and drive up your energy bills. The US Department of Energy gives you guidelines for what's called the "R-value," based upon where you live in the country and what the expected low temperatures during the winter season there are going to be. If you type "R-value insulation" into just about any search engine, you should be able to find a chart that's going to tell you what the insulation level should be. Make sure you have enough insulation now so that you won't be sorry during the cold winter months.
2. Caulking is important, especially around gaps, cracks, or other spaces that are going to allow heat to get out and cold to get in. Areas to look at include around windows and doors, around the foundation, or in a porch area, for example. Seal things tight with caulking so that the heat stays indoors and doesn't get out. In addition, you can seal your windows with plastic so that air won't leak out and cold drafts won't get in, during winter.
3. If you can't caulk, you can use weather stripping around windows and doors to seal gaps.
4. Turn off any outside water faucets and drain them to prevent outside faucets and pipes from freezing and cracking or bursting.
5. If you live in a mobile home or you have a crawl space underneath your house, go underneath to make sure that the pipes under your house are well insulated so that they won't freeze during the winter.
6. Ceiling fans can drive warm air down from the ceiling so that it's actually used in the room. If you don't have ceiling fans, install them and then run them on low all winter long.
7. Get your furnace serviced to ensure it is working properly and will not leak carbon monoxide into your home. Change the filter, too-and plan to change it no less than every three months, more frequently if you have pets or if it is dirty when you check it periodically.
8. If you have window air-conditioning units in your home, take them out and store them properly. The windows themselves should be closed up and sealed to make sure that warm air won't leak out and cold air won't get in. If you have central air conditioning, cover the unit so that moisture stays out during off-season.
9. If you have "old-fashioned" windows, take off screens and replace them with storm windows for the winter.
10. Plants should be trimmed back and trees should be pruned as necessary. If bulbs need to be dug up, do so, and cover shrubs and fragile plants with an old sheet or blanket and a plastic container like an inverted garbage can.
It takes some time, to be sure, but if you properly prepare your house for the winter, you'll have both energy savings and be more comfortable, too.
1. Check and see how much insulation is in your attic and ceiling. If you don't have adequate insulation in your house, cold air may leak in through your roof and drive up your energy bills. The US Department of Energy gives you guidelines for what's called the "R-value," based upon where you live in the country and what the expected low temperatures during the winter season there are going to be. If you type "R-value insulation" into just about any search engine, you should be able to find a chart that's going to tell you what the insulation level should be. Make sure you have enough insulation now so that you won't be sorry during the cold winter months.
2. Caulking is important, especially around gaps, cracks, or other spaces that are going to allow heat to get out and cold to get in. Areas to look at include around windows and doors, around the foundation, or in a porch area, for example. Seal things tight with caulking so that the heat stays indoors and doesn't get out. In addition, you can seal your windows with plastic so that air won't leak out and cold drafts won't get in, during winter.
3. If you can't caulk, you can use weather stripping around windows and doors to seal gaps.
4. Turn off any outside water faucets and drain them to prevent outside faucets and pipes from freezing and cracking or bursting.
5. If you live in a mobile home or you have a crawl space underneath your house, go underneath to make sure that the pipes under your house are well insulated so that they won't freeze during the winter.
6. Ceiling fans can drive warm air down from the ceiling so that it's actually used in the room. If you don't have ceiling fans, install them and then run them on low all winter long.
7. Get your furnace serviced to ensure it is working properly and will not leak carbon monoxide into your home. Change the filter, too-and plan to change it no less than every three months, more frequently if you have pets or if it is dirty when you check it periodically.
8. If you have window air-conditioning units in your home, take them out and store them properly. The windows themselves should be closed up and sealed to make sure that warm air won't leak out and cold air won't get in. If you have central air conditioning, cover the unit so that moisture stays out during off-season.
9. If you have "old-fashioned" windows, take off screens and replace them with storm windows for the winter.
10. Plants should be trimmed back and trees should be pruned as necessary. If bulbs need to be dug up, do so, and cover shrubs and fragile plants with an old sheet or blanket and a plastic container like an inverted garbage can.
It takes some time, to be sure, but if you properly prepare your house for the winter, you'll have both energy savings and be more comfortable, too.
About the Author:
About the author: Jerry Dyess has written about the Texas Electricity business for the past 7 years. Get more information on Texas Electric rates.
You like it? Share it!
posted by SolveItQuick at
5:35 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home