Autumn is approaching fast, and this means it’s time to get ready for colder weather. Your family deserves safety and warmth all winter, and making ample preparations helps to ensure this happens. Alair Homes offers the following industry advice to help you prepare your home and protect your family from the harshest winter weather.
1. Get the right essentials for cold weather
Power outages are common when winter storms hit. Mother Nature can throw anything to you and your family this winter, and you need to be prepared. Having an emergency kit at home is a good way to get prepared for the winter storms. A fully-charged, working fire extinguisher is among the cold weather items you should have. Alternative sources of heat such as the fireplace, wood-burning stove, and generator are other great items to have on hand.
2. Keep your doors and windows sealed
The gaps you see around your doors and windows can make it impossible to keep your home warm in cold weather. Installing weather stripping around your home doors and caulk around windows will mitigate the severe effects of the chilly weather. You know your doors and windows are older if you have uninsulated doors and inefficient single-pane windows. Enhance your home’s energy efficiency during winter with a home renovation that includes insulated doors, storm garage doors, and an upgrade to double-pane or even triple-pane windows.
3. Avoid ice dams
The heat that escapes through the roof of your house melts the snow leading to the formation of ice dams. The snow-melt refreezes at the eaves once it flows to the edge of your roof. Icicles are an indication you may have ice dams. So, what should you do? Clean the downspouts and clogged gutters since they usually cause ice dams. This way, you stop water flow during winter. Warm air may leak from the light fixtures, attic hatches, chimneys, exhaust fans, and vent pipes to your attic. Seal the leak-out areas to contain warm air in your house.
4. Check your furnace
Warmth isn’t guaranteed if your furnace isn’t in good condition. Change the filter of your furnace at the beginning of the cold season. Filters get dirty quickly in homes with feathery or furry pets. Smart home upgrades such as programmable thermostats also help to reduce your costs and keep your home warm when the temperatures drop.
Don’t assume that it’s always expensive to improve your home during an unfriendly season. Many of these ideas are inexpensive, easy to accomplish and can make a significant difference. If you a more extensive home renovation is on your mind, there are ways to incorporate energy efficient designs into your plan and protect your home year round. Alair Homes is here to help. Contact us to more and schedule a consultation.