So you think your house is too cool? Tips on winterizing your home.

 So you think your house is too cool? Here are a few tips for winterizing your home. Feel free to comment and add your own tips!

1. Check for proper insulation in your attic,walls and basement. Call us to arrange an energy audit.
2. Check for drafts; seal windows, doors, nooks and crannies to prevent cold air leaking in.
3. Install foam insulators behind the face plates of light switches and electrical outlets on exterior walls.
4. Clean your gutters and downspouts!
5. Replace your furnace filter. You should check and replace them every 3 months.
6. Look for loose or cracked masonry on steps and at the foundation. Water penetration and ice will make these gaps larger and hasten their deterioration. Also, cold air will be wind driven into the house or basement. Call us to make repairs for you.
7. Disconnect garden hoses. Leave the faucet open, but close the shut-off valves in your basement. Don’t have interior shut offs? Call us before your pipes burst!
8. Stock up on ice-melt and sand.
9. It’s time to take the window air conditioners out. Cover and insulate the ones you can’t get out.
10. If your furnace is more than 10 years old, there’s a good chance that it wastes a lot of fuel. Consider upgrading to a newer one. There are energy upgrade programs and low cost loans available.
11. If your water heater needs to be upgraded, consider installing a tank-less on demand water heater.
12. Use a programmable thermostat to reduce heating costs when no one is at home and to set back the temperature at night. There are smart-phone “App” to let you do it remotely also.
13. Insulate the hot water lines around your hot water heater and turn down the temperature of the water heater to the “warm” setting (125 degrees F). You can also insulate cold water pipes to help prevent them from freezing during the winter.
14. Consider wrapping your water heater with faced fiberglass insulation.
15. If you have a fireplace, close the damper when the fireplace is not in use. Put a colored rag or tag on the handle to remind you to open it when you use the fireplace.
16. If the damper is old or doesn’t close well, try putting some insulation in it to seal it off. Remember to take it out before using it! (use that tag again.)
17. If you like using a fireplace, think about getting an insert that will direct the heat into your house instead of just sending it up the chimney.
18. Reverse the direction of ceiling fans to push hot air downward and delay it from escaping the house.
19. Uncover all south-facing windows to let all possible sunlight in your home.
20. Install a dryer vent seal to prevent cold air from traveling back into your home. Also have one installed in the ducting from your range hood.
21. Install a HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) on the exhaust line of your bath fan or other exhausts to “suck” heat out of exhaust.
22. Keep all closet doors closed when possible. There’s no need to heat space that isn’t in use as long as it doesn’t contain water pipes.
23. Install an insulated garage door and air seal the garage.
24. Install an insulated door between the garage and living space.
25. Have your heating ducts checked for leaks. No sense having heat or cooling leaking into spaces you don’t occupy (such as the crawlspace or attic)!