Winterizing Your Home – 10 Simple Steps

Most of us are well on our way into the winter mindset:  Hunker down, nestle by the fire and stay warm.  Even so, it’s never too late to winterize your home.  The U.S. Department of Energy shares these tips to help maximize the warmth and save some dough.

• Apply weather stripping or caulking around drafty doors and windows to increase your home’s energy efficiency by up to 30%.
• Inspect ducting for air leaks and seal them with insulated tape or “jacket covers”, reducing as much as 30% of air escaping through unseen cracks.
• Replace or clean furnace filters once a month during heating season.  Dirty filters slow the airflow, increasing energy usage.
• Insulate the attic floor and basement ceiling, reducing the area that you have to heat.
• Install storm doors and windows, if you have them.
• Reduce the heat setting on your water heater to 120 degrees Farenheit.  Lowering the temperature setting just 20 degrees can reduce your water heating costs by as much as 10%.
• Cover your water heater with an insulated blanket.
• Use draft stoppers at the base of doors and windows to eliminate the warm air escaping and cold air entering your home.
• Set ceiling fans to rotate clockwise in the winter. Warm air rising to the ceiling will circulate back to the living space below, reducing heating costs by up to 10%.
• Reduce your heat settings when not at home.  Use a programmable thermostat, if possible.  Each degree you lower the temperature when you’re away from home can save you about 1% per month in heating costs.

After you complete your to-do list, you can sit back, enjoy the fire & celebrate the holidays with your family and friends knowing some of that money you spent on gifts might be saved on utility bills!