Preparing Your Home for Wintertime

Fall is a great time to start thinking about home maintenance and getting your home ready for the cold winter, especially if there are household-related items on your to-do list. 

It would probably be better to get them done as soon as possible instead of braving the cold to get it done later. 

Here are a few items to consider to make sure your home is happy to come wintertime.

Review Your HVAC System

Heating systems can last anywhere from 12 to 15 years, though various variables and circumstances can cause some to fail after about 10 years. Others can make it to 20 years with the right conditions and care. 

A lot depends on how an HVAC system is maintained. Before winter comes, change all of your filters. You can also have a good HVAC contractor review your system. The contractor should check to make sure that your heat will work when you need it to. 

It is better to find out that your HVAC system is broken during warmer weather than to find out that your heater is not working during the frigid winter.

Check Your Roof

Your roof is all that stands between your family and snow, sleet, or rain. You need it to function well to keep your home warm and cozy throughout the winter.

Start by checking your roofline. Your roofline should be straight. If you see dipping, curving, or sagging, this indicates an issue that might require a roof repair. 

During the winter, your roof is exposed to heavy rain or snowfall, which means there’s accumulating weight gathering. This puts extra stress on the roof and can worsen an existing sagging problem, leading to a cave-in in some worst-case scenarios.

Check the chimney flashing for leaks. Your flashing should not be loose or damaged, and any caulking holding it in place should not be cracked or deteriorated. Check for signs of water intrusion around the chimney.

Finally, remove debris and clean out your gutters. Low hanging branches present a danger during heavy snowfall. Remove those for the greatest protection.

Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Most fires happen during the winter since the furnace is blasting, and people are building fires. Additionally, during the winter, you are likely to have your home closed uptight. This increases the risk of carbon monoxide accumulation.

Always check your chimney flue before starting a fire in the fireplace. This will prevent you from suffocating. Check your smoke detectors to make sure they are working properly and have new batteries as well. If your home does not have a carbon monoxide detector, now would be a good time to get one.

Winter is coming. It can wreak havoc on your home. However, if you take the time to do some preventative maintenance during the summer and fall months, you can prepare your home for winter and lessen the chances of needing a serious repair during the winter months.

How to Save on Air Conditioning and Heating in an Older Home

There are plenty of reasons why prospective buyers look for an older building when choosing their home. While there are usually plenty of good reasons to pick an aged home, these structures can also present a few challenges that you should be ready to handle. 

This list of challenges often includes difficulty maintaining indoor temperatures as well as higher overall heating and air conditioning costs.

Address Outdated Insulation

One of the most common problems with older houses is poor insulation from the outside. This could be due to degraded or outdated insulation within the walls. 

It could also stem from general deterioration of the seals around windows and doors, or air leaks in the attic and crawl space. Getting new insulation and seals around all points of the entrance can put a huge dent in your power bill.

Consider Zoning the House

Zoning your house by modifying your system to support multiple thermostats can also really cut down on your costs. This type of HVAC setup divides homes into distinct areas, usually several rooms connected together, that share heating and cooling needs. 

When zoning a home, you can set different temperature goals so you only have to invest a lot of energy into the areas where you actually spend time every day.

Consider Ductless Options

Ductless units are a great way to supplement your existing HVAC system without investing in costly installs or ductwork. These units operate as heat pumps by transferring heat between the inside and outside of the home, depending on your current needs. 

They don't rely on any ducts, hence the name ductless, and are relatively small and easy to install. Homeowners who want to concentrate on conditioning a single room or space can save a lot of money with one of these.

Modernize Your System

Some older homes simply have an old, outdated, and worn out HVAC system that needs to be replaced. Removing old equipment and putting a new system in can be expensive initially, but often results in much more efficient operation from month to month. If you intend to stay in the home for the foreseeable future, this option may be your best bet for staying comfortable and getting bang for your buck.

It's hard to quantify the value of a good heating and cooling system, especially if you live in an area with sweltering summers or frigid winters. When buying an old home, it's a good idea to consider the costs of modifying or replacing the HVAC system before you make a final decision.

Top Mistakes People Make to Hurt Their Power Bill During the Winter

 

With winter close on the horizon, it's time to start hunkering down in your home so that you can stay warm and comfortable. In most cases, spending more time inside results in higher utility bills during the winter months. 

However, if you notice that your utility bill is getting exceptionally high, it could be due to mistakes that you're making without realizing that you're making them. To help get your energy costs under control, it makes sense to correct these mistakes as soon as you can.

Using Unnecessary Hot Water

Throughout the year, the temperature of the water that comes into your home varies depending on the outside temperature. Thus, in the winter, your water heater will have to use more energy to heat the water than it does in the summer. Therefore, if you're using unnecessary hot water, you could end up spending more on your utility bill.

The most common use of hot water where it's not needed is in your washer. For the most part, cold water will suffice to get your clothes clean, especially when using modern detergents. If you’re worried about killing germs, remember that the dryer will heat your clothes to much higher temperatures than the washer ever would.

Not Servicing Your HVAC System

As the weather turns colder, you will come to depend on your HVAC system more and more to keep your home comfortable. It's important, then, that you have your system properly maintained so that it can run as efficiently as possible. 

AC service and furnace service are both crucial to help maintain your system's proper operation and ensure that these units aren't using more energy than they should.

Not Setting Thermostat

If you have a programmable thermostat, it's important that you use it fully throughout the winter. Go through all of the settings that are available so that you can properly program your thermostat to turn on and off at the correct times. You'll also want to experiment with different temperatures to see if you can settle for a lower temperature in your home while still staying comfortable.

Not Insulating Around Doors

The doors in your home are some of the largest openings in the exterior walls. Therefore, they represent one of the biggest potentials for energy loss. That's why it's important to ensure that the door and the door jamb have a tight seal so that cold air stays outside where it belongs. If there's not a tight seal, it's important to use various weatherstripping methods to ensure that the gap is closed.

For the most part, preventing excess energy usage during the winter can largely be achieved by performing ongoing maintenance to your home and its mechanical systems. Therefore, if you're taking care of your home, you'll receive the dual benefits of an extended lifespan for the materials in your home and lower energy usage during extreme temperatures.

5 Reasons to Get Your HVAC System Checked This Spring

As soon as the weather starts to warm up, you should think about having your HVAC system inspected and serviced. A little bit of preventative maintenance could save you quite a bit of money and help you avoid time-consuming problems down the road.

Avoid Expensive Breakdowns

Even though most of the HVAC systems made in the past few years are durable, they must stand up to an incredible amount of use and abuse. During your HVAC System Maintenance, the technician can catch and fix smaller issues well before they lead to expensive breakdowns.

Lower Your Energy Bills

In the average home, climate control is one of the largest expenses. To keep your energy bills at a reasonable level, you must have the system regularly serviced by an experienced technician. That tech can ensure that your heating and cooling system remains as efficient as possible during the hottest and coldest months.

Reduce Your Risk of Mold

It is unfortunate that mold outbreaks can occur inside your HVAC system, and those spores will make their way into your home. Over time, the airborne contaminants will increase your risk of a wide variety of serious health issues. 

Luckily, treating a mold outbreak is relatively easy if you catch it before it spreads to the rest of your home.

Remove Invasive Pests

During the coldest months of the year, many pests are going to look for shelter, and various areas of the HVAC system will be perfect for their nests. 

While you can visually inspect the ducts and vents throughout the winter, you should think about having a technician thoroughly inspect the system before turning on the air conditioner for the first time.

Longer System Lifespan

Without proper maintenance, some HVAC systems will completely break down in a very short period, and replacing those units can be costly. The easiest and most effective way to extend the system's lifespan is to have it inspected and serviced by a certified technician at least once or twice a year. Regular HVAC services can extend the lifespan of your unit by years.

Spring maintenance is a great start, but your heating and cooling system should be serviced once the weather starts to cool off as well. Those biannual service calls will keep your HVAC system running smoothly and efficiently for many years.

4 Benefits of Installing Central Air Conditioning in an Older Home

You’ve purchased an old home, and it’s heading into summer. That means heat outside. If your home has no central air, it can also mean hot and stuffy air inside. Air conditioning was not a priority before the past few decades, and the heat may have you considering central air if you lack it. Here are four benefits of installing a central air unit in your older home.

Cooler Indoor Temperatures

Overall, it’s possible to keep a house cooler with a central air unit than it is with a few window units. Central air conditioning comes with ducts that fairly evenly distribute the refreshing cool air throughout the house. 

By keeping older window units, only the rooms that house the units will remain cool. The rest of the house could be quite warm when temperatures hit the 90 or 100 degree mark.

More Efficiency

While you may have to refer to a professional for AC system repair periodically, you will not likely have to use as much energy to keep a home cool. The reason for this is the higher efficiency that’s tied to newer models when compared with those built even 10 or 20 years ago. Better efficiency ratings mean lower costs because less energy overall will be used in the process of cooling your home.

Tax Benefits

Even though the federal rebates for energy efficiency ended recently, some states provide tax credits for the purchase of a new HVAC system that’s energy efficient. This means that the overall cost of putting in a system could be much less than the sticker price any prospective installers might quote. 

These tax credits and rebates can go a long way toward making the purchase of a new AC system affordable. Of course, it would be a good idea to check into any sate or local incentives before making the purchase.

Increased Value

Most people want air conditioning. In many parts of the country, it’s a necessity. Those who are looking for a home might not pay enough to take care of the entire cost of a new system, but people are less likely to buy a home that lacks one. Prospective buyers will pay a slight premium for AC, and this premium will probably be higher in areas in which most homes lack it.

There are many benefits that come with installing central air in an older home. Newer units are more efficient so the overall cost will be lower. You’ll also be able to enjoy more comfort when relaxing at home.