4 Things You Can Do Now to Prepare for Winter

We hate to be the bearer of bad news (maybe good news to a few of you) but Winter just happens to be right around the corner. Yes, in this the year 2016, winter will come roaring in like a lion on December the 21st. Also known as 4 days before Christmas! We don’t want you to be blindsided by this event, so today we’re giving you 4 simple steps to take RIGHT NOW to prepare your home for the upcoming cold winter months.

Step 1 Get your fall maintenance check up

The best defense against heating problems is to make sure your system is maintained year-round. Having heating equipment serviced before the heating season can reduce your heating bill and prevent repairs, breakdowns, and ensure your system is operating well.

Step 2 Prepare those hard to heat spaces

Our second recommendation for winterizing your home is to go ahead and prepare those hard-to-heat spaces! We all have that one or 2 rooms that just don’t heat as well as the other rooms because of various reasons. For these spaces it’s a good idea to go ahead and figure out how you’re going to provide extra heating elements. Some options would be adding a furnace with blower or fireplace, inconspicuous baseboard heating or radiant floor heating. Read our complete guide here about heating local spaces.

Step 3 Preparing your windows, doors and other exterior structures.

Check for a good seal and weatherstripping. Problems with these can make doors and windows drafty and cause unnecessary heat loss. If you have storm doors and windows, the time to replace your current screens is now! Don’t have storm windows? Try plastic wrap and weather tape to prevent drafts! Finally, check the wood around doors and windows for signs of rot or decay, cracks, gaps or broken glass and replace or repair if needed.

Step 4  Be sure overhead fans are rotating in the right direction.

Finally, make sure overhead fans are switched to the reverse or clockwise position, Doing this will blow warm air down to the floor leading to energy efficiency and comfort. This will in turn make room feel warmer, and you can lower the thermostat temperature! The only exception to this rule is if your ceiling fan is mounted on a two-story cathedral or a vaulted ceiling, the fan is too high to create this effect so it can stay in counterclockwise setting year round.

If you need help with winter preparation and live in the Nashville and surrounding area, please call on us at 615-832-8500.

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