5 Ways To Get Your Home Ready For Winter

With winter upon us, you probably should have already winterized your home. However, if you haven’t yet gotten around to it, here are some easy ways you can get your home ready for winter.

Winter ready checklist

1. Do a test run on your furnace or heat pump. If your heating equipment is not running properly, have a professional heating and air company come in and take a look at it. Whether your equipment seems to be operating OK or not, schedule an annual maintenance check for efficiency, operational and safety issues.
2. Inspect windows and doors for air leaks and gaps. Use weatherstripping or caulk to seal up any leaks. This will reduce drafts in your home and save on energy dollars.
3. Check the insulation in the attic, basement ceiling and crawlspace. Make sure to replace or add insulation where needed. This will help keep warm air from seeping out.
4. Make sure all outside pipes are properly insulated. If these freeze during the winter, they will cost a pretty penny to repair. Pipes in unconditioned areas such as crawlspaces and basements should be insulated as well.
5. Clean out your rain gutters. If the gutters are filled up up with ice, leaves and debris during those freezing nights, the weight can damage the gutters and roof, plus allow for improper drainage around your foundation.

Extra tips for getting your home ready for winter

It’s a good idea to place plastic over the windows. This will help insulate the home, and keep warm air from escaping.

Reverse your ceiling fans from the default summertime setting (counter-clockwise) to clockwise. The fans will blow air upwards, displacing warm air that collects near the ceiling and redirecting it down into the room where occupants can feel it.

In climates like ours in northwest Arkansas, where winter temperatures often drop below freezing, getting your home ready for winter is a big task, but one that will significantly increase home comfort and and energy savings. For more detailed information on how to winterize your home, please contact us today at Paschal Heat, Air & Geothermal.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Northwest Arkansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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