With winter just around the corner, homeowners should ensure that their properties are prepared for the colder months ahead. Winter can be a special time filled with holidays and spending time with those you love, but this can all become much more complicated—and less enjoyable—if your house and property aren’t ready for the changing of the seasons.
For example, if you’ve recently completed a construction job, home renovation, or landscaping project, calling on a junk removal service is an ideal way to clean out the clutter from your space so that you can enjoy your space without all that junk and those unwanted items. But there’s even more you should consider preparing for with winter coming up.
For example, if you’re living in a place that faces varying hot and cold winter temperatures such as Colorado, you might just have to take a look at heating and cooling companies in Denver to make sure your home stays at a comfortable temperature. Here, we’re taking a closer look at ways you can prepare your home for the winter so it can be one of the most enjoyable to date.
6 Tips to Get Your Home Ready for Winter This Year
We all love the long days and warm weather of summer, but there’s no reason why you can’t thoroughly enjoy the unique aspects of the winter season. In these months, things seem to slow down just a bit and you can focus more on the holidays and spending quality time with friends and family.
Depending on where you live, of course, you may also be inclined to spend more time indoors as the colder weather makes it a bit less enticing to go outside. This makes your home an even higher priority for these winter months. Keep reading below for some practical tips on how to ensure your home is ready for winter.
1. Check your heating and air conditioning system: first things first: we recommend that you call on a professional to ensure that all your HVAC needs are taken care of before the cold weather hits. For many homes, you may not have used your heat for a few months.
Make sure to run your heating and AC system to ensure it’s still working properly. You don’t want to wait and find out there’s an issue with your heating system when it’s already snowing outside.
Again, if living in a place with inconsistent temperatures and winter weather such as Colorado, start seeking out Denver heating services or calling on our local HVAC team. Staying prepared with a list of contacts for service is an ideal way to have all your energy systems, in addition to your plumbing lines, checked out all at once.
2. Protect your pipes: burst pipes are one of the most common home issues during these winter months. According to recent data, burst pipes can end up costing you roughly $5,000 in repairs. To avoid this costly mistake, ensure that your exterior pipes are flushed (like in your sprinkler or irrigation system) and that the interior pipes in your home are thoroughly insulated.
Pipe insulation can be used for any exposed pipe such as a copper pipe or PVC water pipe. It’s especially important to insulate your basement pipes as this is where the majority of bursts occur in homes.
3. Insulate your attic and crawl spaces: while you may not spend too much time in these areas, they still make an impact on your home during the winter. But insulating your attic and crawl spaces is important when it comes to saving you money on your energy bill this season.
Uninsulated attics can majorly suck the warmth from your space and force you to keep turning up the heat. This is why the upfront cost of insulating these spaces can end up saving you more in the long run. Insulating your attic can also help you prevent ice dams on your roof that, in some cases, can cause serious structural damage to your roof.
4. Swap in those storm windows: speaking of saving on your energy bill, windows are another major source of heat and energy loss in your home. This is especially true of larger windows. To prevent heat loss from this source, swap in those storm windows to provide better insulation for your home. They can also offer more protection during snowstorms or other poor weather.
5. Check your gutters: take a quick trip up to your gutters before the snow starts falling. If your gutters are clogged up, especially common in the fall with all the dropping leaves, this can cause water to back up and then freeze.
This can lead to significant damage to your gutters and can get rather costly. Check your gutters, clear them out, and make sure they’re properly connected so you don’t have to worry about them this season.
6. Inspect any trees on your property: while you’re outside checking on those gutters, take a look at any large trees on your property as well. Weak, brittle tree limbs can get damaged by snow or high winds, and if they’re close enough, crash down on your home and cause real property damage. Take this time to inspect your trees, and if necessary, cut down those dead or weak tree branches.
Conclusion – Tips to Get Your Home Ready for Winter
Winter has a lot to offer. From the amazing holidays, spending time with those you care about, and enjoying a new landscape with snow and cooler weather, there’s a lot you can do that is unique to these colder months. But before you begin planning out your winter activities, make sure that your home is ready to go this year.
There are many steps you can take to ensure your home is ready for winter. Call on your local HVAC expert to ensure your heating and air conditioning system is working properly.
Additionally, you should make sure that your pipes are insulated, your attic and crawl spaces are also insulated to save on your energy bill, and swap in those storm windows for even more energy-saving this year. By taking the proper steps early in these colder months, you can have the time (and energy) to enjoy the winter months this year. And trust us, your home will thank you for these prep tips as well.
