Springtime gets a great rap as the time for new beginnings and a chance to clean your home for a fresh start, but fall can be the perfect time to set up winter savings and reset your home for the holidays.
With temperatures at least hinting at cooling, now is the time to get your home prepped before winter weather sets in and complete any energy-efficient house upgrades before holiday hosting and travel.
Outdoors
Clear gutters and downspouts of leaves and debris. Consider installing gutter guards to help minimize the job next time.
Trim dead limbs and branches from trees to prevent them from falling and causing damage to your house or car during winter storms that may come.
Take a close look at your roof. Check for signs of wear and tear, including any misshapen, cracked or missing shingles. Damaged shingles should be replaced.
Check flashing around skylights, chimneys and pipes, and seal any leaks or gaps with roofing cement.
If doing any of the above requires a ladder, observe the following practices:
- Place the ladder’s base on a firm, dry surface.
- Wear slip-resistant shoes.
- Always keep three points of contact with the ladder: two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand.
- Don’t stand higher than the third rung from the top.
- Don’t lean or overreach—reposition the ladder instead.
- Be sure to check for and avoid any overhead power lines before climbing a ladder.
Once back on solid ground, rake or blow leaves from your lawn to avoid insects and prevent suffocating the grass below. The raked leaves make an excellent nutrient-rich mulch, or you can compost them.
One last task outdoors in anticipation of colder, potentially freezing winter temperatures: Wrap exposed water pipes with heating tape. The benefits of this are twofold—it’ll save energy and keep your pipes from freezing.
Indoors
Clean or replace filters in your HVAC system.
Check your attic insulation. When you look across the space, if you can’t see any of the floor joists because the insulation is above them, then you probably have sufficient insulation. If more insulation is needed, install it on the attic’s floor between joists, taking care not to step off the joists. The insulation’s vapor barrier should face down toward your home’s interior.
If there isn’t one already, consider installing a screen behind vents that lead into your home’s attic to discourage pests from taking up residence there.
Weatherstrip doors and seal drafty areas. Finish the job with a metal sweep along the bottom of the door. For an easier alternative to the door sweep, go with a removable draft guard.
It’s also wise to repair caulking around window and door frames. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, sealing an old or especially drafty house can save more than 20% on heating and cooling bills, so it’s worthwhile to maintain year-round.
Have wood-burning fireplaces inspected and cleaned to prevent chimney fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and replace batteries as needed. If you don’t own a CO detector, get one. Relatively inexpensive models can save lives.
