With winter quickly approaching, I wanted to put on my real estate broker hat and share ways to winterize your home this season.
Cold temperatures and potential precipitation can make a small problem turn into a big problem and can wreak havoc on your home. The key to home maintenance is to catch problems at early stages before it’s too late and minor issues become costly problems. I’m going full real estate broker mode here and sharing tips to help you prepare your home for winter.
Check your gutters
Clogged gutters can lead to the formation of ice dams on your roof. This occurs when water backs up and freezes near the edge of the roof. The ice can continue to build up and eventually form “dams” that block the path of melted snow from your roof. Water can start pooling in mini reservoirs and begins to seep into your house, causing water damage. To prevent ice dams, clean out the dead leaves and other gunk in your gutters so water can drain freely.
Lower your water heater temperature
In cold weather, there is nothing better than a hot shower, amiright? Water heaters are usually set to 140 degrees, but lowering your water heater to 120 degrees will save energy and money. And you don’t really need your water to ever reach 140 degrees, especially if you have little ones.
Close your fireplace
When you’re not sitting by a cozy fire with hot chocolate in hand make sure your flue is closed all the way. If you can still feel air coming in when it’s closed, it’s not truly closed. Also, glass doors around your fireplace opening can be another way to keep warm air in and cold air out of your house. I’m on the hunt for cute fireplace accessories and love these fireplace tools and log holder!
Replace filters
This is an easy one! Regularly changing the filters in your central air and heating system can significantly improve its efficiency and life span. I buy the filters in bulk so it doesn’t feel like more of a chore to change a filter.
Change your thermostat
Do you have a nest? A programmable thermostat lets you customize your heating, so your system doesn’t run when you don’t need it. You can program your nest to be one temperature when you’re at home and another when you’re away. Plus, the nest is proven to save you 10-12% one your heating bill.
Check your windows
Windows are one of the major ways heat seeps out of your home…brrr! Replace any old or insufficient windows and if that’s not an option, caulk around your windows to prevent cold air from entering.
Reverse ceiling fans
Did you know that you can use your ceiling fans during the winter to keep your house warm? On every ceiling fan there’s a switch that allows you to reverse the direction of the blades, so that your ceiling fan rotates clockwise. This pushes warm air down and forces it to recirculate throughout the room.
