Get Your Home Winter Ready

Winter is here and if you haven’t finished preparing your home for the colder months ahead, now is the time to wrap up these projects.

From Alaska Housing Finance Corporation's department of Research and Rural Development, here are simple steps you can take to save money and increase the comfort and safety of your home this winter: 

1. Disconnect Hoses

Remove hoses from the outside hose bib and attach a faucet cover over the hose bib. This can help prevent cold air from leaking into your home from around the spigot and adds extra protection to your plumbing line.

2. Store Firewood Safely

If you’re stocking up on firewood, make sure to store it away from your house or other buildings.  The last thing you want to do is invite wood-boring pests like carpenter ants into your house.  Storing your wood someplace with good drainage and on blocks can help maintain airflow under the pile to reduce moisture problems which attract insects.

3. Keep Water and Snow Melt Away from Your Foundation

Clean, repair or install gutters to help keep water away from your home's foundation. Ensure positive drainage away from your foundation. A 10-degree slope is preferred for better drainage. Add extensions to downspouts to divert water if necessary.

4. Home Heating

This is the time of year to have your heating system professionally serviced and change the filters if you have a forced air furnace.  Make sure your heat box or heat exchanger is in good working order and has been checked for possible cracks that can emit carbon monoxide. Heating companies sometimes offer specials on heating system inspections and cleans in the fall.  Having your heating system serviced now may help avoid the frantic call when it’s 10 below and the heating contractor is three days out with all the other no heat calls!

Switch ceiling fans to rotate counterclockwise during the winter to keep the warm air circulating downward.

5. Home Safety

Be sure to test smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and change out batteries if required.  Replace with new detectors as needed per the manufacturer’s recommendations.  A good tip is to check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors monthly.

If you enjoy a warm fire during the colder months, call a chimney sweep for a cleaning to remove soot build up and perform a safety check. Extensive soot build up is a fire hazard and it is possible for strong winds or earthquakes to cause cracks or unseat a chimney flu, allowing poisonous gasses or even embers to escape and possibly result in a fire.

Check your emergency supplies – bottled water, shelf stable foods, flashlights, batteries, first aid supplies, radio, smart phone charger, battery pack and anything else you may need should the power go out for an extended time.

6. Smart Home Savings

If you can program your home energy use, here are a few more ways to increase your savings!

• Set timers for your block heaters, exterior and indoor lights. Use LED lights to save money and energy.
• Program your thermostat timer and reduce the heat by 4-5 degrees when your home is unoccupied.
• Install moisture sensors in crawl spaces or any spaces in your home where you have had moisture problems in the past. This can help you identify issues before they become too severe.
• Put your bathroom fan on a timer to help pull humidity and other volatile organic compounds out of living spaces to improve air flow and indoor air quality.

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Looking for more resources? Alaska Housing Finance Corporation’s department of Research and Rural Development provides information, tips and tools to help homeowners better understand energy efficiency.