Winter will soon invade the Midwest, and if you have not started to winterize your home yet, now is the time to do it. The following tips will help you protect your home during the winter, keep your home comfortable on the coldest days, and reduce your energy usage for the season:
Steps to Winterize Your Home:
- Get Your Furnace Inspected: Have your contractor perform the routine maintenance on your furnace and check for any potential problems that could lead to a system failure. This will make sure that your system is operating safely and as efficiently as possible for the heating season.
- Inspect the Air Filter: At least every month, check the air filter in your furnace to makes sure it’s not dirty or clogged, and clean or replace it, if necessary, to keep your system running efficiently.
- Seal Air Leaks: Use caulk, weatherstripping and foam insulation to seal leaks around doors, windows, dryer vents and plumbing or electrical penetrations. Use floor sweeps at the bottoms of doors and foam gaskets behind outlet and switch plates to prevent drafts.
- Have Your Insulation Checked: Make sure that there is at least R-49 in the attic, R-25 in the floors, and R-19 in the walls. Add more if necessary.
- Insulate Pipes: Use foam pipe insulation to protect any water lines that run through uninsulated spaces from freezing.
- Turn Down the Water Heater: A setting of 120 degrees should be sufficient for most households, and will save a lot of energy compared to the default 140 degrees. Also consider installing a water heater jacket or blanket for extra energy savings.
- Install a Programmable Thermostat: Set your normal temperature as low as possible without creating an uncomfortable environment, and have the thermostat reduce the temperature 8-12 degrees below the normal temperature when you’re sleeping or at work to save up to 20 percent off your heating bills.
For more tips to winterize your home, talk to our experts at Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We have been serving Indianapolis and the surrounding area for more than 40 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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