Taking the time for home winterization will help you cut your heating costs and maintain a more comfortable home. It doesn’t cost much or involve a lot of hard work to prepare your home for freezing temperatures, and you’ll notice immediate improvements in comfort throughout.
- Seal the leaks. As temperatures fall, you may notice cool air coming in around the windows and exterior door frames. Caulk around the window frames will stop the leaks, and fresh weatherstripping around the doors will stop drafts. When the door doesn’t close tightly at the base, use a draft stopper or install a door sweep.
- Deal with the windows. If you don’t use storm windows or have thermal-rated windows, your windows can lose a lot of heat from your home 24/7. You can buy clear plastic window kits that stop some of the heat transfer outdoors. Depending on how many windows you have, the modest cost will easily pay for itself in lower heating bills.
- Clean the gutters. When rain or snow melt runs off your roof, it can collect in clogged gutters and freeze, forming ice dams. While the dams may not affect your comfort the first season they appear, when the ice melts, it can damage the roof and exterior walls. Should water leak into the attic, the insulation can absorb the moisture, rendering it less effective for protecting against heat transfer.
- Have your HVAC system serviced. Not only will this winterization tip help you save energy this winter, it will prolong the life of your equipment. Professional HVAC technicians clean and adjust the entire system, check the airflow through the system, and spot small problems before they become more serious.
- Switch the ceiling fan direction. Change the settings for your ceiling fans to take advantage of the warmer air that collects near the ceiling during the winter. Blades that turn clockwise will pull the air down and increase the warmth closer to the floor and middle areas of your rooms.
To learn more about home winterization, contact Ace Hardware Home Services, providing trusted HVAC services for greater Dayton homeowners.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Jirsak/Shutterstock”
