Winter may still be months away, but there are certain things you can do this time of year to prepare your home for the colder weather.
“The furnace is probably the one thing that is most important for winter,” said home inspector Curtis Elliot. “We want to have good heat and we want that to last through the winter.”
He suggested changing your furnace filters and making sure the exhaust vents are free from debris and bushes.
“Gutters are another thing. We want them to be clear for the winter so we can control the water outside the house to make sure our basements stay dry in the winter,” Elliot said.
READ MORE: Winterizing your home
Winterizing checklist:
- Check the furnace and change the filter if needed
- Clean gutters and make sure downspouts are working
- Make sure the dryer vent is clear
- Seal and caulk areas around vents and exhaust pipes to prevent rodents
Inside the home, apart from readying your furnace, there are things you can do to ensure you’re heating efficiently.
Michelle Loleski, a spokesperson with Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc., recommended adding caulking around windows and doors and adding weather stripping to provide a tight seal. She also suggested adding foam gaskets behind outlet covers to cut down on heat loss and drafts from exterior walls.
“Some people don’t realize that those things add up,” she said. “Pot lights, for example, if they are installed improperly, you can lose 50 per cent of your heat through that seal.”
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Loleski said there are incentive programs and services available that can, in some cases, subsidize costs for energy efficient products.
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