Prepping Your House For Winter

When winter finally arrives, you will want to make sure your home is prepped and ready for this extreme cold weather. Heating costs can pitch a twist into your winter budget. But, there are solutions you can take now to start to limit the discomfort by fixing the gaps, cracks, and waste that drive up fuel costs.

These solutions are available at a lower price if you prepare now. Here is how you can prepare yourself and your home for the cold weather.

Reverse Your Fans

Ceiling fans play a great role in the house. When the cold season approaches, it is important to reverse switch if your fan has one. This switch is used to run the fan’s blades in a clockwise direction only if you turn on your heat.

By doing this, the fan will produce an updraft hence pushing down the heated air from the ceiling. This relates to the scientific meaning of convection whereby hot air rises. This preparation is very helpful in rooms with high ceilings. Consequently, it might even allow you to turn down your thermostat by a small degree for greater energy savings.

See Also: How to Clean HVAC Coils

Add Attic Insulation

Insulation keeps the house warm by warming up the air inside during the cold season. Before installing the attics, keep in mind the location of your house. Warm houses should have an attic of lower insulation than houses in the cold climate. For this installation, you should consider hiring a professional. If you find one, follow each step carefully so that you will not have to hire again during the next cold season and reduce the cost.

Check Your Roof

You do not want any cold penetrating in your house during this season. So, look for damaged, lose or any missing gravels that may leak. If you have a flat roof, that is textured with tarmac and pebbles, clean it by either raking or blowing off leaves and pine needles, which contain moisture make sure you do not sweep aside the pebbles because this will expose the asphalt to damaging sunlight

Inspect the Fireplace and the Chimney

The glow of fire during the cold season warms up an evening. Before you decide to light up that first log, ensure your fireplace and chimney are clean without critters.

You can hire a professional chimney sweeper who will clean out soot and other remains that could catch fire. Keep the warm air from escaping out of the chimney when you are not using it. You can do this by keeping the vent closed all the way. You should not be able to feel any cold air coming down from the chimney. If your budget is friendly, you can choose to install glass fireplace doors or a chimney blowup that blocks cold air from coming down the chimney and keeps the house warm enough.

Seal Windows and Doors

Any gaps around windows and doors can cause a big challenge when trying to warm your house. Seal around all windows and install weather doffing around doors as needed. This minor task can help you save on heating costs. If your windows and doors are older, they may be ineffective hence making sealing a big problem. Consider upgrading to a better window pane and insulated doors. This will contain the warmth of your house.