Winterizing your home isn’t just about keeping up with home maintenance. A few simple steps can help you save money and keep your home nice and cozy for the cold months!
Hopefully, you’ve already done this, but if you haven’t, don’t wait! A proper heating system is a necessity for your home this winter. Give your system a quick test run to make sure it’s operating properly. If it isn’t working, put in a maintenance request on your tenant portal.
Drafty doors or windows? That can drive up your energy bill! If the cold air creeps in, your heater has to work harder which costs you $$. It’s an easy fix - just install some foam or felt weather-stripping.
Inspect the caulking around your door frames, and check for any leaks around your doors. Checking leaks is easy on a day when it’s windy! Click here for some creative ways to check for leaks. For your windows, check the outside moldings for missing or damaged caulking. To replace, use a quality exterior caulk to seal the gaps. Don’t forget to check for leaks here, too.
Windows and doors are obvious places for heat to escape, but what about your floors? Like a monster under your bed, cold drafts can seep into a room from right under your feet. Have any old rugs laying around? Break them out over hardwood floors. Hardwood is notorious for letting out heat so covering as much as you can with rugs will help keep the warmth in.
The rule of thumb is to replace your air filters every 3 months, but in winter, you’ll want to increase that frequency. Changing your filter every month ensures your heating system will run its best.
The last thing you want with cold temperatures is freezing pipes. Take a minute to drain the water from your outdoor faucets and garden hoses and store the hoses inside. Just in case a pipe does freeze, make sure everyone in your house knows how to turn off the water at the water source! This will help to minimize the leaking if a pipe does burst.
Following these simple steps will help to save you money, avoid unnecessary maintenance, and keep you warm all Winter long! For more information on maintaining your home, visit https://resihome.com/maintaining-your-home/.