Wisconsin is known for extremely cold winter weather. Winterizing your home is not an optional task. There are tasks that need to be performed both inside and outside your home. Each step takes just a few minutes to complete and will ensure that the frigid temperatures have as little an effect as possible on your home.
Before Winter Inside
Before winter hits and the temperatures start to drop, you will want to have your furnace inspected and make sure your filters are changed. Insulate any exposed pipes as well as your hot water tank. Buy enough furnace filters to change them once a month. It’s also important to check around your windows and doors to make sure there are no air leaks. Old or damaged weather tripping can lead to heat loss causing your energy bills to skyrocket.
Before Winter Outside
Outside your home, you should check your gutters. Clean them thoroughly and eliminate any debris that may be clogging your gutters. Drain your garden hoses and coil them up. Place them in storage to keep them from being damaged. If any exposed pipes are in your garage, insulate them as well. Look closely at your roof and check for any damaged areas.
During Winter Inside
Inside your home, reverse the spin on your ceiling fans to keep warm air circulating through your home. You can save money on your heating bills by lowering the temperature settings on your water heater by 10 degrees. Place homemade draft guards at the base of your doors to keep drafts to a minimum. Lower your furnace thermostat by five degrees whenever you leave the house for longer than a few hours. You may be able to cut your energy bills by around five percent over the course of a year.
During Winter Outside
Outside your home, make sure all your light bulbs are new to see more clearly as the nights get longer. Have a bag or two of ice melt or sidewalk salt on hand. You will need to spread salt on your outside steps, sidewalks, and driveway to keep ice from forming. A cheap, biodegradable kitty litter is also quite effective and environmentally friendly.
When preparing your home for the winter, you want to ensure you are as thorough as possible. Don’t forget to go over your homeowners’ insurance policy. Contact the agents of Unisource Insurance Associates as soon as possible to learn more tips on how you can help protect your home from Wisconsin’s harsh winters. We can review your homeowners’ insurance with you to ensure you have sufficient coverage. We can also guide you through that process if adjustments need to be made.