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Winter is a challenging season for homeowners and their budgets. However, it’s an easier obstacle to overcome when you know how to prepare for it. Easy steps like improving your insulation and scheduling furnace repair in Minneapolis can make the cold weather much easier to handle. Here are 7 ways to make your home safer and more energy-efficient before cold weather strikes. Check Your Insulation Many homes are not sufficiently insulated, leading to inflated heating bills during the winter. Consider adding an additional layer of insulation to your attic and outer walls. Blow-in insulation is usually the easiest to add to walls, and it fills cracks that other types of insulation can’t reach. Fiberglass batts or blankets are relatively easy to install in your attic and prevent warm air from escaping outside. Look for Drafts No matter how much insulation you have, it will be practically useless in a drafty home. Inspect your windows and doors to make sure there are no cracks where air can sneak through. If you find any, seal them with caulk or weatherstripping. Put towels or draft stoppers at the foot of your doors to prevent air from getting in or out. Change out screens around the house for storm doors and windows. Inspect Your Roof Missing shingles and other roof damage gets magnified during harsh winter weather. Make sure your roof is in top condition inside and out before winter strikes. Also be sure to check the gutters to make sure they are free from debris and leaks. Either of these problems can cause melting snow to accumulate around your house, making your driveway and sidewalks dangerous to walk on. Clean Your Chimney Most people only use their fireplaces during the winter. That means that the rest of the year, your chimney may become cluttered with animal nests, leaves, cobwebs, and other debris. Hire a chimney sweep to clean out your chimney before you use it for the first time in the winter. Not only will he remove solid blockages, he’ll also clean the built-up creosote off your chimney walls, reducing your chances of a dangerous house fire. Test Your Smoke Alarms Most home fires happen around the winter holidays, because of extra fires in the fireplace and cooking in the kitchen. If something does catch on fire, it’s important that you and your family are able to react as quickly as possible. Test each smoke alarm in your house and change out the batteries if they are more than 6 months old. Reverse Ceiling Fan Rotation During the summer, ceiling fans rotate in a counterclockwise direction. During the winter, you can reverse the direction your fans spin so they gently push warm air back down into the room. When running on a low speed, this keeps the room more comfortable and takes some of the pressure off your HVAC system. On most fans, you’ll find a switch on the side that allows you to easily switch the direction your fan rotates. Clean Your HVAC System Before winter, schedule a thorough cleaning and inspection for your HVAC system. This serves 2 purposes. First, it removes dust and dirt from your vents so your system will run as efficiently as possible. It also gives you cleaner air to breathe in all winter long. Secondly, furnace repair in Minneapolis fixes small problems that will only grow worse as the winter progresses. You don’t want your HVAC system to break down on the coldest day of the year when you need it most. Identifying and repairing small problems early on will keep you comfortable all winter long, and is also less expensive than paying for repairs when your whole system breaks down.
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