Winterize Your Home

Have your heating equipment serviced to make sure that it is operating efficiently. Improperly tuned heating equipment can waste hundreds of dollars a year in fuel or electricity. Clean your chimney if you have a replace. Experts suggest that you have the chimney cleaned after burning four cords of wood, more frequently if you use wood softer than oak. Be- sides being a re hazard, dirty chimneys can smoke back into the house, forcing you to open windows and doors, which let heat out. Turn off outside water faucets at a cutoff or insulate the hose bibs to prevent pipes from bursting. Weather-strip all doors and windows and consider using special plastic wrap to cover your windows. Make sure that all windows are fully closed. Keep the thermostat set low at night. Setting the thermostat back 8 degrees

will save 8-10 percent of heating costs according to the U.S. Department of Energy. If you have a heat pump, you might need a special set back thermostat. Keep your garage door closed when it is cold, especially if you have a heated room above the garage. This will also help to keep rodents out. Seal cracks and holes in foundations with cement or silicone based caulking. Seal any area larger than a crack with steel wool or copper wool and then foam insulation. The insulation will keep the cold out and the wool will keep rodents from entering your home. Keep redwood outside and bring it in only when you are going to burn it. Not only will you keep a huge cold mass outside but also you will reduce chances of insects coming in with the wood and becoming active as they heat up to room temperature.