Winterize
Your Home
Every
single year you should take the necessary steps to winterize your
home. This is important because you can actually save money when
your home is ready for the winter. How is this possible? Well, you
might be surprised because 40% of your energy bill is consumed
simply by the heating and the cooling of your home. In this case, it
is being consumed by whatever method you use to heat your home. If
you winterize, you’re going to be able to reduce that percentage in
ways you never thought were possible.
So how can you winterize your home
and save some serious cash?
1. Make sure you don’t wait until
cold weather has already set in. You want to winterize while the
weather is still warm. When you do these tasks in warm weather, you
are more motivated to get things done. You’ll also find that the
steps you take to winterize your home can also be beneficial all
year round. You can look at this as a home improvement project
because, let’s face it, you are actually improving your home in a
lot of ways.
2. Make sure you get the outside
work done first just in case you can’t finish winterizing until cold
weather comes. Go ahead and clean your gutters. This will keep
melting snow from getting up under your shingles. This can make your
roof last longer.
3. Make sure storm windows are
installed before the first snowfall. If you can, put them up early.
This is better than waiting.
4. Take care of any weather
stripping around windows and doors that is cracked or worn. This
weather stripping is meant to keep cold air out and warm air in, but
that is not going to happen if it isn’t completely intact. Try to
find drafts around windows and fill them in. If the drafts are
severe, you need to have your windows replaced.
5. Check attic insulation to ensure
that the thickness is okay. If you don’t think it is thick enough,
add some more. It is better to have too much than not enough.
6. Check furnace filters to make
sure they are clean. If they are not clean, install new ones or
clean the ones you have. You would be amazed how much money is lost
because of furnace filters that are simply not clear of dust and
debris.
7. Make sure you have good
batteries in your thermostat. Better yet, make sure you are dealing
with an efficient thermostat. If you’re not, then you may want to
try getting a programmable thermostat that can automatically control
temperature. When no one is home, it can automatically lower the
temperature to save money.
8. Check the age of your furnace.
If it is more than 10 to 15 years old, it is time for a replacement.
There are much more energy efficient models out there today. In the
long run you will save more money.
9. Make sure you set your
thermostat lower. You can save 3% of your energy bill for every
degree that you lower your thermostat. Simply layer on clothing to
stay warm and that will save quite a bit of money for the year.
10. Try energy efficient blinds.
These are special blinds that let in the sun’s warmth during the day
and keep the heat in at night when they are closed.
You’ll be quite surprised at how
much cash you can actually save by doing these things. If you don’t,
then you are spending a lot of money that you shouldn’t have to
spend. Sure, it does cost money to winterize your home, but that
cost is nothing compared to the cost that you may have to pay to
keep yourself warm in the winter.
By A. Nutt
Prefabricated metal buildings
direct from the manufacturer. Offers a wide selection of steel
buildings, metal carports,
steel garage
buildings and more.
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