Winterizing Tips that Will Save You Money

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, heating your home costs more money than any other system in your house. It makes up an average of 42% of your utility bill. That number can be even higher if your home isn’t properly winterized.

We interviewed Yung Chung from Pillar To Post Home Inspectors to get you the best home winterizing tips that will help you save money this year.

Winterize Your Sprinkler System
In Michigan, Yung recommends that you try to do this prior to November, if possible. That’s because damage starts to occur the first time that the frost level reaches below your irrigation system. Any water left in the pipes is likely to freeze and expand over winter. Want to know how to winterize your sprinkler system? Check out this article from Home Depot.

Protect Your Pipes
When the temperature hits below freezing, you’re at risk for frozen pipes. While partially frozen pipes are inconvenient with limiting water pressure, burst pipes are the main worry. You can prevent this by letting water drip from any outdoor faucets including your hose spigots and bibs. Yung also recommends that you do this for any interior faucets that are on the exterior walls of your home. This is especially important to do if you have an older home or your pipes are not fully protected in insulated spaces.

Clean Your Gutters
While this might not be your favorite winterizing chore, Yung couldn’t stress the importance of this enough. If water can’t flow freely through your gutters and downspouts, it can cause a great deal of damage to your home. It can lead to water intrusion in your basement, crawl space, or slab. Damage to your gutters can also become a safety concern.

Check Insulation Content Within the Attic
Having 12-14 inches of insulation in your attic will help dramatically cut down your heating loss. It might feel like a lot but any gaps in insulation will allow heat to escape from your home. About 25% of a home’s heat seeps out of the roof and attic.

Preventing Ice Dams
Ice dams are one of your home’s worst enemies because of their lasting damage. Good news, fall is the perfect time to prevent or reduce the problem. Ice dams are chunks of ice that form along your roof and gutter. While the weather is cold, they look like seasonal decorations but once they start melting, problems occur.
Ice dams are typically caused by three things, dirty gutters, lack of insulation in the attic, and lack of air ventilation in the attic. Without proper air movement in the attic, the heat loss melts the snow at the roof and will refreeze in your gutters.

Check and Change Your Filter
For the best indoor air quality, Yung recommends replacing your filter every three months. Changing the filter will also help improve the overall efficiency of your furnace. It’s going to work hard this winter, having a clean filter will help it perform better and prevent your system from overheating.

Prevent Air Exchange
Now is a great time to make sure all your door and window seams are caulked tight. You can also use weatherstrips to prevent those air leaks. Each leak lets a little bit of heat out each day. The less air exchange you have, the more efficient your home will be.