As winter draws near, there’s more to do than just weatherproofing your house and checking that your heating systems work properly. The chills of winter are more than just an inconvenience, and homeowners have a lot to do to ensure that their home’s integrity is not affected by the chilly weather. Before the winter chills hit, follow this guide to ensure that your interior and exterior space remains comfortable for you and your family through the cold spell.
- Warm the water heater
If you have a water heater, insulating your water pipes can help you to have as much as ten percent of energy spent in heating. Remember that pipes pass from the heater tank through uninsulated portions of the house which can be very cold, causing your water to lose heat faster in winter. Bring in a qualified plumber to insulate your piping appropriately, so that you don’t have to increase heating temperature and consume even more energy than necessary.
- Change your appliances
This isn’t something that you need to do for the winter alone. Rather, every time you’re due to buy a new electrical appliance, choose energy efficient models to not only to reduce your energy consumption but also to mitigate your negative impacts on the environment. Look out for appliances with the BEE rating (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) and select the highest-rated one that you can afford. Your energy consumption savings in the long run will be worth it.
- Weather-strip your house
The aim of weather-stripping is to cover up very small openings around doors, windows, ceilings and other areas. Through these areas, heat can easily escape or cold air can come in, raising your heating needs.
- Inspect exterior walls and flooring
Check the internal and external surfaces of your outer walls and flooring for blistering or cracks. These should be repaired using caulking or paintwork before winter starts. Not only is this important to prevent escape of heat during winter, it prevents further damage that would be more expensive to fi in future.
- Take out window AC units
If your residential properties have window-installed air conditioning units, you should make them out and replace with an insulated protective covering to safeguard your home against harsh weather conditions and chilly winds from outside.
- Select the right geyser
Having a geyser for the winter is a useful investment. Before going out to get one, decide what your requirements are. For individuals, instant geysers are ideal. If you have a family however, you may need one to be installed in your kitchen, in which case ensure that you select one with a high BEE rating to conserve energy.
- Clean and seal your chimneys
Finally, before the cold sets in, clean out your kitchen chimneys and seal with appropriate insulation material to prevent cold air from coming in through the chimney. Replace your chimney filters to make it more efficient and reduce energy consumption.