Winter is upon us in Hampton Roads with the first official day of the season kicking off on Thursday December 21st. Keeping the heat in, the cold out and your energy bills to a minimum are the goals in preparing for winter weather. Are you ready? 

What precautions have you taken to help you save money while preventing costly repairs during the holidays? Here are a few things you can do right now for under $100.

• Replace Filters - Changing your filters on a regular basis is crucial to ensure your system is running at optimal performance. If your air flow is restricted, your system has to work twice as hard to heat and cool your home thus resulting in higher than normal utility bills and will actually shorten the life span of your heating system.

• Caulking Doors and Windows- Drafts are everywhere. Sealing up drafts will help keep your home warmer throughout the colder months and it’s a relatively inexpensive task. You should be able to get Caulk and the Caulking gun between $10 and $20 depending on where you are shopping. If caulking doesn’t seem to do the trick, consider a window insulation kit that seals the entire window with shrink wrap plastic and a hair dryer. Keep in mind, these kits do prevent one from using opening the window until it is removed but they do a great job in keeping everyone warm. 

  

• Sealing Doors - Any door or window that opens to the outside is prone to drafts and there are several weatherstripping options available to ensure your doors remain sealed. Whether you select a tubular rubber gasket, Adhesive backed foam or Felt, all of these line along the vertical edge of the sash or the side jam of your doors ensuring everything is sealed tight.

• Cover outside Faucets - When temperatures fall below freezing, your outdoor faucets are prone to cracks and can burst costing you unnecessary expenses. If you have a garden hose attached, disconnect it and be sure to cover it.

• Change Ceiling Fan Direction - During the winter months your ceiling fan should run in a clockwise rotation at low dipped. This will draw the room air up towards the ceiling and force the warm air down and out towards the walls. 

•  Install a Programmable Thermostat- Did you know that you can save up to 5% or more on your monthly heating bill by installing a programmable thermostat? This will allow you to follow a set schedule and turn your system down or off when you aren’t at home. Newer Thermostats offer Geofencing technology that utilize your GPS functionality of your cell phone to adjust your system as you come and go from your home greatly improving efficiency.