Are you ready for colder weather?
The holiday season is fast approaching. What does that mean? Well, colder weather will be arriving sooner rather than later. Is your home ready to keep you comfy during the winter? There are many things you should do to get your home ready for winter. If you don’t take these steps, you could end up with an uncomfortable home or astoundingly high utility bills.- Seal air leaks around your windows and doors. Air leaks can hurt comfort and your wallet. There are products out there than can quickly seal up air leaks around your windows and doors – like caulking or weather stripping.
- Clean your gutters. Don’t forget to have all the leaves removed from your gutters before the first snowfall.
- Close your chimney damper when it isn’t in use. Did you know that your chimney acts like a big vacuum when your damper is open – warm air rises. If you have a chimney, make sure you close your damper after each use.
- Make sure your attic is insulated. Again, warm heat rises. You want to make sure that your heated air is not escaping out of cracks in your attic or roof.
- Don’t be afraid to turn the thermostat down a degree or two. Small adjustments can make a world of difference. Turning your thermostat down a few degrees is not going to affect comfort too terribly.
- Have someone come out and perform an energy audit on your home. Find out where you could save money on your monthly heating costs.
- Schedule preventative furnace maintenance with your local heating and air conditioning contractor. Ultimately, preventative maintenance is going to be the best way to keep your home safe and comfortable this winter. Your contractor may also catch small issues that could be causing higher utility bills.