Winter is coming to the Metro-East area. Now’s the time to prepare. We don’t know what the season will bring this year but – whether mild or harsh – if you properly winterize your home, you’ll stay warmer at a lower cost.Â
A simple process
The amount of time, energy and cost necessary to winterize you home is not substantial. If you make it an annual practice, it’s just a matter of upgrading areas where you prepared last winter. If you haven’t checked areas to winterize your home in recent years, it’s still a relatively small job that will pay off in big dividends for your family and your finances all winter long. Here are a few suggestions on where winterizing helps most:
- Equipment check – If you haven’t had a maintenance check on your heating system, get one now. That way you’ll have no surprises with a heating system failure.
- Weatherstripping – Keep cold winds from sneaking through your doorways by adding or replacing worn weatherstripping.
- Caulking – A tube or two of caulk can go a long way by keeping cracks filled on the outer walls of your home and seams around windows tight. Cold air penetration around window is a major contributor to high energy costs.
- Attic area – Make sure your attic access door closes and seals well. If your insulation doesn’t cover your attic floor to the top of the floor joists, add some. If you need another layer, add that as well to reduce heat loss from inside your home.
- Duct leaks – If you haven’t examined your ducts recently, do it now. Leaks in ducts rob you of heat, reducing your comfort and costing you in wasted energy use. This is an important step when you winterize your home. It will also improve your indoor air quality.
- Ceiling fans – Set your ceiling fans to blow upward (blades turning clockwise). Displacing warm air trapped near the ceiling will distribute comfortable air more effectively.
If you want more tips on how to winterize your Metro-East area home, please contact us at Ernst Heating & Cooling. We’re always happy to help you keep your comfort level high and your costs low.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Hamel, Illinois and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about winterizing your home and other HVAC topics, visit our blog.Â
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