Electricity Gas

Don’t Invite Cold Weather Inside Your Home

Posted On: October 14, 2019

Winter is coming, and it will scale the walls of your home to get inside. But you don’t have to join the night’s watch to protect your household realm; secure the perimeter with these wintry battleplans!

Keep your heating healthy
The biggest step you can make in is ensuring that your heating system is running smoothly. Change your HVAC filters regularly and find a trusted furnace technician to tune up your home’s furnace. With your system in tip-top shape, it should achieve manufacturer-rated efficiency.

Stock up to wait out the storm 
In the case of a blizzard, you better have bought your supplies beforehand. Non-perishable food, cases of bottled water, plenty of warm clothing, and snow shovels will all come in handy if you are snowed in for any period of time. A transistor radio and batteries (and back-up batteries!) can keep you informed if phone lines are no longer working. 

Reverse your ceiling fans 
It’s that simple. By changing the direction that your ceiling fans spin, warm air will be forced downward to the part of the room you live in, warming up the space.

Seal the deal 
Heat can escape through air leaks in windows and doors, so make sure it stays in rather than seeping out. Seal leaks with silicon caulk around windows, install weather-stripping on doors, use window coverings to help trap heat in, and inspect the insulation in your attic and crawlspace to make sure it’s cozy!

Fight from the outside
There’s a laundry list of ways you can prep the outside of your home for cold weather. Check your roof before winter for any damaged shingles. Clean your gutters to prevent the creation of ice dams. Don’t bag your leaves, mow them to mulch your yard. Lastly, turn off your exterior faucets, and drain your sprinkler system. No one likes dealing with a burst pipe.