If you make time to do a few necessary preparations to your home the autumn, then you can definitely save yourself some money and possible headaches in the future. There are a few things you should check before winter is upon you. By fixing any possible problems that you have now; you will reduce your electric and heating bills during the colder months.
1) Check Attic Insulation
Every Fall, you should check out your attic insulation and make sure it's still in good condition. In a year's time, it is possible for rodents or bugs to get into the attic and ruin parts of the insulation. If your attic isn't well-insulated, then you will lose a lot of heat through the roof of the house. In addition to checking the insulation, plug up any gaps in the floor and framing if there are any.
2) Install Storm Windows
If you live in an older house, you might only have single-pane windows. These are very inefficient when it comes to keeping heat in your house during the colder months. If you spend a little money and install storms windows, you will reduce the amount of air escaping your home. In the end, it will all be worth the money you had to shell out because you will save money in heating costs.
3) Check Interior Doors to Exterior Spaces
Take a look at any interior doors you have that lead to exterior spaces, such as the basement, garage and covered or enclosed porch. Just because these doors are inside, you can still lose heat if they aren't properly insulated. What you can do is check the perimeter of the door and to make sure there are no gaps that could be leaking air. If so, you can easily install weather stripping to make it flush to the door when it's closed.
4) Secure Exhaust Vents
Walk around the outside of your house and take a look at any exterior vents you have. You should at the very least have a vent from the dryer. Make sure the seal around the vent is air-tight to not allow any cold air in or warm air out. Check any other vents you could have, such as a fan for the entire house or stove vents.
5) Clear Away Crawling Plants
Some homes can have climbing plants around them, like ivy. Even though they may look lovely, especially going up the sides of an older brick home, they can be damaging to the walls. These vines can dislodge the mortar from between the bricks. Once that happens, water can now enter the walls and ruin the wood inside and cause rot, which would be completely irreversible. Your best bet is to just get rid of the plants and vines now before you have to pay for it later.
6) Restore Run-Down Shingles
Climb up onto your roof (safely) and take a thorough look at your shingles. If you have any that have separated from the roof or look damaged, replace it with a new shingle. You will prevent any future leaks and possibly some serious roof problems.
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