Is Your House Ready for Winter?
There is no better way to prepare your home for winter than having a look at your home’s furnace, performing regular upkeep, and sealing off air leaks in and around the house. Delaware County’s frigid cold can be dangerous at times, and homeowners spend a load of money during the winter keeping their homes warm and families safe.
We at Lewis Center-Powell Heating & Air compiled a list with money-saving tips that won’t break your budget:
Homeowners Should Have Furnace Filters Changed Monthly
Old air filters are notorious for reducing furnace productivity and increasing heating bills, among other things. A dirty filter can also lower the life expectancy of your furnace. Not to mention, experts say they can create health problems and increase heating bills.
We advise homeowners to replace their filters monthly throughout the winter.
Service Furnace Regularly
Autumn and before winter is a great time to have your furnace serviced. Doing so routinely can catch more expensive problems down the road and extend its life.
Experts say furnaces purchased within the last couple of years, still relatively new, can get by with being serviced every two years. Older units, however, need to be checked by a technician every year.
Seal Off Furnace Ducts
Leaking heating ducts make utility bills significantly higher in addition to making it harder to keep your home warm.
You can enhance performance by closing up exposed ducts in the attic, the crawl space, or the basement and garage.
Focus on the areas where ducts, vents, and registers come out on the floors, walls, and ceilings. Use mastic sealant or metal tape, which are better than mere duct tape, to seal the seams and connections.
Use a Programmable Thermostat
A programmable thermostat can pay for itself by saving homeowners up to a couple hundred a year in fuel costs. Programmable thermostats will automatically adjust your home’s temperature when you aren’t there. It also maintains temperatures, saving fuel.
Find Additional Air Leaks
Find and seal air leaks that could be leaking up to a third of your home’s valuable, warm air.
Attic insulation can be pulled back to locate and seal off openings in the drywall for electric fixtures. Check fans, outlets, and even pipes. Check anything that penetrates the home.
Also, check your chimneys, flues, wiring, vent stacks and ducts, and seal them on the interior. Use caulk to fill smaller leaks and enlarging foam for larger holes.
Use Weather-Stripping
Did you know you can find leaks in exterior doors with a candle? From your home’s interior, light a candle and move the lit candle around the door’s frame. If there is a draft, the candle will blow towards you. Be sure to turn off fans and any blowing air when you do this for accuracy.
You can seal a drafty door by investing in foam or felt weather-stripping inside the door frame.
Also, Use a Door Sweep
A door sweep will also prevent air leaks from entering your house beneath an exterior door. A sweep is a versatile piece of rubber or plastic that’s held to the door’s lower edge by a strip of aluminum.
If You Have a Fireplace, Close the Damper
It doesn’t take a scientist. Warm air rises, and if you have a fireplace damper open, your hard-earned money goes right out with it.
If you have a fireplace, try to make it a habit to shut the flue after it has cooled.
Get More Insulation
Insulation prevents that warm air from going out in the winter, and it keeps that costly chilled air inside during the warmer months.
Adding insulation where it’s thin, or where there’s a slight draft, even in your attic, can prove to be a wise investment.
Leave that Thermostat Alone
You can appreciate fuel savings at no cost merely by setting your thermostat to one temperature in the morning, a different temperature during the night, and otherwise leaving it alone for the rest of the day. If you get cold, throw on a warm shirt and some socks instead of spending money to raise the heat.
Cover Your Windows
Curtains, shades, drapes, and blinds can provide a remarkable amount of insulation.
Utilize them mostly at night and when you are away to preserve heat in the home. In warmer weather, draw window coverings in the morning to keep the house cool during the day, saving money on air conditioning.
Insulate Piping
Insulate the hot water pipes beneath your home by installing foam sleeves. Most hardware stores carry slit, hollow, flexible foam pipe insulation. Find the diameter of your pipes and measure their lengths before you go to purchase them.
Pipes without insulation give off heat when water runs through them. Don’t forget the piping between the tank and the wall.
For help preparing your home for winter, or schedule a tune-up call Lewis Center-Powell Heating & Air today at 614-490-7530 or schedule an appointment online now at www.lewiscenterpowellheatingandair.com/schedule-now/.
