4 Ways to Winterize Your Home on a Budget
As leaves and temperatures begin to fall, you know that winter has already set its course. It’s time to prepare for the holiday season, keep warm, and enjoy your time with friends and family. You should start winterizing your home now. Otherwise, the season will become uncomfortably cold for you.
What are the key things that you shouldn’t neglect while planning for the cold season? In this article, we’ll discuss the top wallet-friendly ways to winterize your home.
Fix Air Leaks Around Doors and Windows
For starters, you should be looking for ways to keep warm during the cold season. Air leaks through doors, windows, and cracks can be a huge problem if not fixed early. As cold air flows in through the openings, it interferes with your HVAC system’s ability to maintain temperature balance, causing cold spots in your home.
Your HVAC system will consume excess energy to warm your home to the required temperature. You will need to seal the cracks with caulk, and use weatherstripping to seal the doors and windows.
Change Your Filters
According to experts, it’s highly recommended that you change your air filters regularly. A clean filter helps to ensure efficiency in your HVAC system. In the winter, you’ll need an operational HVAC unit to keep you warm. A clogged air filter makes it difficult for your system to keep you warm during the winter because the unit will consume excess energy as it works to pull air through the dirty filter. Therefore, your energy bills will spike, making the season more expensive than you intended. Changing your filter is a simple, inexpensive way to help your system work better.
Service Your HVAC Unit
The most important thing to do during this season is to schedule HVAC maintenance before winter. This can help reduce your energy consumption and unexpected problems during the season. For starters, you’ll probably be operating the heater throughout winter, so your system will need to be in good condition to operate at a constant speed without consuming excess energy.
It may also be more difficult to get maintenance services during winter. As this is the busy season, appointments may be weeks out, and you may require the repair immediately. However, if you’ve regularly maintained your unit, the HVAC system should last throughout winter without any problems.
Check the Thermostat
Thermostats are also a wonderful choice to help you easily control and maintain your home’s indoor temperature. However, if you don’t maintain the thermostat properly, it may let you down when you need it the most. Smart thermostats can help lower your energy bills while still keeping your children warm and happy. You’ll also be able to easily identify errors and fix them before the problem gets worse.
Although winter comes with lots of fun activities to engage in, it can also be uncomfortably cold. If you are not prepared, the cold can take the fun out of winter. Spare some time to prepare for the cold so you can enjoy time with your family this winter.