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 the insulation level in your ceiling and attic. Be sure you have adequate insulation in your home so cold air isn't escaping through your roof and increasing your energy bills. The U.S. Department of Energy offers guidelines for the R-value you should have in your home based on where you are located in the country and the expected low temperatures there in the winter season. Simply type in "R value insulation" in any search engine and you'll be able to find this chart or a similar chart on an insulation manufacturer's website. Add any necessary insulation now so that your home is well insulated before the first cold spell hits.
2. Caulk around cracks, gaps, or other spaces that allow heat to escape from your home. This could be in your foundation, around windows or doors, or in a porch area. Seal things up tight so the heat you pay for stays inside the house. You can also seal windows with plastic to prevent air from leaking out around them and cold drafts from coming in during the winter.
3. Add weather stripping around doors and windows to seal gaps where you cannot caulk.
4. Before winter sets in, turn off and then drain outside pipes and faucets so that they won't freeze and crack or burst.
5. If you live in a mobile home or if you have a crawl space beneath your house, make sure you check all pipes under your home to make sure they're well insulated and won't freeze during very cold temperatures.
6. Install ceiling fans in your home and plan to run them on the low setting during the winter months. Ceiling fans can help re-circulate warm air down from the ceilings to where it will be better appreciated in the room.
7. Your furnace should be working properly; get it checked to make sure it's doing so and especially to make sure that it won't leak carbon monoxide into your house. Change the filter, which you should do every three months anyway. You should do it more often if you have pets or if it's especially dirty when you check it at normal intervals.
8. Remove any air conditioning units from windows in your home and store them properly for the winter. Ensure windows are closed up properly and sealed to ensure you do not have warm air leaks during the winter. If you have a central air conditioning unit, cover it to keep the moisture out of it during the off-season.
9. If you still have the old-fashioned windows, remove screens and replace them with storm windows and doors for the winter season.
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 a little time, but properly preparing your home for the winter months will pay off nicely in energy savings and a higher comfort level. - 29939
1. Check the insulation level in your ceiling and attic. Be sure you have adequate insulation in your home so cold air isn't escaping through your roof and increasing your energy bills. The U.S. Department of Energy offers guidelines for the R-value you should have in your home based on where you are located in the country and the expected low temperatures there in the winter season. Simply type in "R value insulation" in any search engine and you'll be able to find this chart or a similar chart on an insulation manufacturer's website. Add any necessary insulation now so that your home is well insulated before the first cold spell hits.
2. Caulk around cracks, gaps, or other spaces that allow heat to escape from your home. This could be in your foundation, around windows or doors, or in a porch area. Seal things up tight so the heat you pay for stays inside the house. You can also seal windows with plastic to prevent air from leaking out around them and cold drafts from coming in during the winter.
3. Add weather stripping around doors and windows to seal gaps where you cannot caulk.
4. Before winter sets in, turn off and then drain outside pipes and faucets so that they won't freeze and crack or burst.
5. If you live in a mobile home or if you have a crawl space beneath your house, make sure you check all pipes under your home to make sure they're well insulated and won't freeze during very cold temperatures.
6. Install ceiling fans in your home and plan to run them on the low setting during the winter months. Ceiling fans can help re-circulate warm air down from the ceilings to where it will be better appreciated in the room.
7. Your furnace should be working properly; get it checked to make sure it's doing so and especially to make sure that it won't leak carbon monoxide into your house. Change the filter, which you should do every three months anyway. You should do it more often if you have pets or if it's especially dirty when you check it at normal intervals.
8. Remove any air conditioning units from windows in your home and store them properly for the winter. Ensure windows are closed up properly and sealed to ensure you do not have warm air leaks during the winter. If you have a central air conditioning unit, cover it to keep the moisture out of it during the off-season.
9. If you still have the old-fashioned windows, remove screens and replace them with storm windows and doors for the winter season.
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 a little time, but properly preparing your home for the winter months will pay off nicely in energy savings and a higher comfort level. - 29939
About the Author:
About the author: Jerry Dyess has been in the Texas Electricity business and written about Texas Electric prices for many years.
