Preparing Your Home for Fall and Winter

Colder climate presents all kinds of challenges, especially when it comes to your home. Protecting your home during fall and winter months is essential for preventing some disastrous issues. Here are some tips to help keep your home safe.

• Check for drafts around edges of windows and doors.
• If your home has central air conditioning and the weather no longer requires it, you may want to cover your outdoor unit.
• Invest in a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust for the cooler fall nights. This can save on your electricity bill.
• Shut off exterior faucets and drain garden hoses to prevent nightly freezing.
  Repair roof leaks, clean out gutters, and remove any branches or debris that can be weighted down by ice or snow.
• Inspect trees, trim back landscaping, and remove excess leaves from your yard and roof.

When you’re preparing your home for fall and winter it’s easy to think of the obvious issues that come from the cooler temperatures, but you should also consider the potential for fire as well. You’re heating your home more than other months and may even have a fireplace to keep warm. Colder months also mean more decorative lighting and candles used in holiday celebrations. These present additional hazards to consider and prepare for. Here are some tips you may not have considered.

• If you have a fireplace, have your chimney, chimney vent, and flue inspected and cleaned annually.
• Never burn trash, treated wood, tree branches or needles in a fireplace or wood-burning stove.
• Never leave a fireplace or wood stove unattended.
• Inspect decorative lighting for wires, bare spots, or gaps in the insulation before using. Never leave lighting unattended.
• Don’t overload outlets. Use surge protectors

It is a good idea to speak with a reputable contractor about doing a winter home inspection. A contractor can assess your home for risks that you might face and make suggestions on improvements for the winter months.