While you may not have been able to complete your fall clean-up before the first snowfall, it is not too late to protect your home and wallet from the harsh winter elements. Here are some helpful tips to help safeguard your home and money during the winter season.
- Use insulation sleeves to wrap water pipes in your basement, crawl spaces, and unheated areas of your home to prevent the pipes from freezing and breaking.
- Wrap an insulating blanket around your hot water heater to conserve energy.
- Move furniture away from heating vents to help heat rooms more efficiently.
- Use indoor and outdoor mats, along with boot trays to protect your entryways and mudroom from snow, water and salt that can get tracked in. Also have a designated place to hang wet jackets, and other winter apparel.
- Check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure the device is working properly. The risk for house fires generally increases during the heating season.
- Confirm that all of your windows are locked shut to minimize heat loss through your windows. Help prevent drafts by covering your windows with insulating film.
- Rake snow off your roof and keep your attic cold to help prevent ice dams. An ice dam prevents melted snow from draining off the roof properly, which can lead to indoor leaks that damage your insulation, ceiling and walls. Use proper insulation to keep your attic cold in order to help minimize heat loss that would otherwise melt the snow on your roof faster.
- Regularly clean your dryer vent and lint trap to prevent dryer fires. Static electricity is worse during the dry, winter season. A spark from static electricity can cause lint to catch fire, which is highly flammable.
- Purchase a generator. A generator can help protect your home by keeping the heat and power running during a bad winter storm, which will prevent pipes from freezing and keep things running such as your sump pump and alarm system.
- Keep your fireplace damper closed when not in use to prevent heat loss. Making a point to close it after the fire burns out can save you hundreds of dollars in heating expenses.
