How to Prepare Your Home for Winter: Explained

Winterize your home now, before winter settles in. Keep Old Man Winter outside and keep things warm and cozy inside your home this winter.

The winter season arrives without fail each year on December 21^st. The winter weather, however, can surprise us in the fall as early as September. And here it is, the middle of October already. It’s time for us Chicagoans to get serious about winterizing our homes! Protecting our investments doesn’t have to be expensive either. There are a number of inexpensive ways to winterize a home at minimal cost.

Why winterize your home?

It’s worth the investment to winterize your home because it:

• Lowers energy bills
• Increases the efficiency and lifespan of home systems
• Makes a property safer

Thoroughly inspect your home before the season’s first frosty cold snap with this handy Winter Preparation Checklist. With today’s current prices, you can winterize your home on a budget of $100, $250, $500 or next to nothing.

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Winterize your Home for $100 or Less

Caulk gun and four tubes of caulk – Fill gaps in siding, windows and doors. For drafty windows and doors, caulk the inside, too. Pull off moldings to fill gaps in insulation. A can of low-expansion window foam can be used instead of caulk.

Window insulation film

Weatherstripping or weatherstrip tape for windows

Replacement filters for your heating and air units. It’s a must to change yourfurnace and air conditioning filterson a regular basis.

Door threshold/sweep strip – Fill air leaks beneath doors.

Door gasket – Fill leaks around doors.

Winterize your Home for $250 or Less

Home energy audit– Most utility companies offer home energy audits to their customers. Blue Frost Heating & Cooling technicians can audit your home systems to check for efficiency, safety, leaks, gaps in attic and wall insulation, and the condition of your water heater and pipes. Note: Many home energy improvements are tax-deductible.

Programmable thermostat – Keep the temperature down at home when you’re not there.

Chimney balloon – Prevents drafts from flowing through your chimney and prevents heat from escaping.

Fiberglass insulation – Pack insulation around basement doors, windows in unused rooms or around exterior windows, doors, andair conditioning units. Make sure yourattic flooris insulated, too.

Winterize your Home for $500 or Less

Annual checkup, cleaning, and maintenance for your central heating and air unit and air ducts.

Ceiling fans(that also heat rooms)

Two-part spray foam – Insulate the sill box in the basement (It’s on top of the foundation and under the floor). Fill the gaps and leaksto seal and insulate the whole space.

Winterize your Home for Little to Nothing

Draft guards, towels or throw rugs – Close gaps at the bottom of all exterior doors.

Snow – Bank the snow up against the sides of your house to help insulate it from the cold.

Dryer vents – Clean the lint from the outside dryer vent, and make sure the flap closes completely when the dryer isn’t running. If air can’t escape the dryer because lint and debris are blocking the vent pipe, it will run longer to dry clothes and use more electricity.

HVAC vent covers – Clean muck from the HVAC return vent covers.

Water heater – Flush the water through the drain valve to clear out particles and sediment. This allows your water heater to operate efficiently and safely.

Ceiling fans – Change the blades to move clockwise in the winter. This will push hot air from the ceiling towards the floor.

Gutters – Clean gutters to prevent icicles from forming and allow water to flow freely down the gutters like it’s supposed to. Water on sidewalks turns into dangerous icy patches.

Thermostat – If you move the thermostat down three degrees each night, you could save up to $100 each year.

Winterize your home now, before winter settles in.Call usat (630) 444-0860 today for all your home maintenance needs.Blue Frost Heating & Cooling can help keep Old Man Winter outsideand keep things warm and cozy inside your home this winter.