Winterizing Your Home
Without the right knowledge of how to properly care for your home throughout the seasons, it can quickly deteriorate, leaving you with a house requiring expensive repairs. Protect your investment by preparing your home for the coming seasons, especially winter. Winterizing your home helps prevent damage from freezing temperatures, snow, and ice. It also keeps your home energy-efficient, saving you money on your monthly bills. Follow these 7 tips for winterizing your home in the Tennessee Valley.
1. Check Weatherstripping
Over time, weatherstripping can rip or deteriorate around your windows and doors. Ensure your weather stripping is repaired or replaced before the cold hits. This ensures the cold air stays out and the warm air stays in, keeping you comfortable and saving you money. For extra protection, invest in storm doors and windows to better regulate temperatures in your home. North Alabama can have very cold nights, so this simple step can really help you save on energy costs.
2. Prepare the Fireplace
Preparing your fireplace before using it for the first time this season is important in ensuring the safety of your home and your family. If you haven’t used your fireplace in a while, it’s likely there will be buildup from dust, animals, or other debris. Check the chimney to ensure there is a clear path leading outside. If there is anything blocking the way, the best thing you can do is call a professional to inspect and clean the fireplace before using it.
3. Insulate the Attic
The majority of a home’s heat loss comes from openings in the insulation of your attic. This could mean pieces of insulation have flaked away, been moved around, or were just never there in the first place. Before turning on your heat this season, ensure there is sufficient insulation in your attic to block the cold and keep the heat from rising out of your home.
4. Protect Outdoor Items
Freezing temperatures, snow, and ice can damage outdoor furniture, grills, other equipment, and plants. If you have a shed, garage, or basement, store these items inside before temperatures get below 45 degrees. If you have no place to store your outdoor equipment, cover it up for the season. Try to bring plants inside though, as most require temperatures over 45 degrees.
5. Get A Programmable Thermostat
If you haven’t yet invested in a smart or programmable thermostat, now is the time. These thermostats can help ensure maximum efficiency of your heating system by running on a schedule. When you’re away for the day, you can set your thermostat to lower temperatures, giving your heating system a break while you’re away. Even better, you can schedule it to be warm again before you even get home so you’re comfortable at all times. winterizing your home
6. Get the Roof Ready
Your roof withstands the wrath of every season, so ensure it’s ready for the cold by inspecting it now. Check to make sure your shingles are not broken, missing, or curled. Clear any debris from atop the roof and in the gutters. Check the attic and ceilings for leaks, and check that the attic is properly ventilated to prevent mold and mildew.
7. Maintain Your Heating System
To maintain your heating system and make sure it’s running properly, you’ll want to schedule preventive maintenance from your local heating and air conditioning contractor. There are a few things you can do yourself, such as changing your filter and cleaning the area around your outdoor unit, but a licensed professional from Garrison & Garrison can ensure your system is working as it should. Regular preventative maintenance also prolongs the life of your system and improves efficiency, leaving you with lower monthly bills.
If your system has been underperforming for the past few seasons and is over 10 years old, it may be time for a replacement. Garrison & Garrison proudly offers American Standard heat pumps and furnaces. We can make recommendations as to which unit will best fit the needs of your home and your family with one visit. If you think you may be in the market for a new system, give us a call at 256-859-8500 today. We proudly offer our Buy Back Guarantee, so you never have to worry about not being happy with your system purchase!
Learn More
As an American Standard Customer Care Dealer, we care about the comfort of your whole home. For more tips or information on preparing your home for winter give us a call at 256-859-8500. We make recommendations on a home by home basis, and you can rest easy knowing your comfort system is in good hands. winterizing your home
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