It can include adding insulation, sealing up openings.
Frederick, Md (KM). During this rather warm autumn, most people are probably not thinking about the cold weather which will be upon before long. But Potomac Edison says now is a good time to take some small steps to winterize your home.
One way is to add more insulation. “You can look into either getting some blown insulation, or perhaps go get the right insulation from your home improvement stores. That’s a very helpful thing to do,” says Todd Meyers, a spokesman for Potomac Edison.
He says another good suggestion is “arming yourself with a good caulking gun and start doing some weather sealing around doors and windows, anywhere where pipes come into the wall.” Meyers says a lot of heat can escape through these openings. “If you add all the areas in a home that are open to the outdoors, it’s almost equivalent to having an open window,” he says.
These measures, he says, can not only keep the house warm in the winter, but cool in the summer.
The first day of winter is Thursday, December 21st.
You’ve heard the advertisements on radio encouraging you to get your heating system checked out before the cold air descends upon us. Meyers says that’s a great idea. “Having the filters pulled out and put in a new filter, and having things tuned up so the airflow goes through easily, and you’re not working the blower motor to try to force air through a dirty filter,” he says.
In the wintertime, there’s nothing more pleasant than sitting in front of a fire in the fireplace. Before you light those logs, Meyers says have glass doors installed, and keep them closed when the fireplace is not in use. “A lot of hot air goes right up the chimney if it’s open to the room, and you can lose 15% of your heat that way as well,” he says.
By Kevin McManus