Like many other household maintenance projects, no one likes preparing their home for the Winter. It can be extremely easy to put off tasks as simple as reversing the rotation of your ceiling fans or monitoring your thermostat, but if you want to cut energy costs and adequately protect your home for the harsher seasons, you’ll need to bite the bullet and start making preparations while the weather is still fair.
If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry! There are a number of steps you can take, ranging in necessity and difficulty, to make the Winter easier on your stress levels (not to mention your budget). Here are a few tips:
Buy (or Make) Draft Stoppers for Your Doors
While a draft stopper might not do the job of insulating a room quite as well as a new door, it’ll do the trick without making your wallet bleed. You can purchase draft stoppers at many local hardware stores, or even create one yourself by rolling up a bath towel and placing it under your door or window.
Replace Furnace Filters
No household item will be more relevant to you in the Wintertime than your heating system/furnace. As a result, it’s quite important to make sure your filters remain clear, as dirty filters restrict airflow and increase energy demand. Head to your nearest home improvement store and stock up on some new filters!
Empty Your Pipes
Frozen pipes generally aren’t cheap to fix, but thankfully, they’re quite cheap to prevent! By draining your pipes (many of which have manual valves you can open once your turn off your main water line), you’ll ensure that nothing will freeze inside.
Reverse the Rotation of Your Ceiling Fans
In order to prevent hot air from leaving your most frequently inhabited rooms, reverse the rotation of your ceiling fans to run clockwise- this will push heat downwards, keeping the hot air being generated by your furnace in the room you want it in.
Install New Windows
Sure, old windows might add to the vintage/traditional charm you might like your home to be imbued with, but they won’t keep the cold out of your house! Old windows can be the #1 source of heat loss in a home, and while new windows aren’t cheap, the long-term energy and heat savings will more than make up for the initial investment.
Source: Improvenet