How to Prep Your Home for Winter

The leaves are starting to turn and the chill is in the air, and now is the time for homeowners to prep their residence for Old Man Winter.

With heating costs expected to rise this year, properly winterizing your home could save money on lower heating bills and eliminate costly damage to the house from the elements.

The most important things are to check for leaks around the house and make sure your heating is as efficient as it can be for the house, says Larry Bilotti, executive editor of BobVila.com. Experts recommend inspecting your home and making requisite repairs now before that first snowstorm.

Seal the envelop of your home. Nows the time to walk around your house and look for cracks and places that need sealing or caulking. It will help you save money in the summer and winter by eliminating air infiltration, says home improvement expert Danny Lipford.

Look for cracks around windows, doors, faucets, air conditioning vents, dryer vents and any other place that something can come through the wall. Most cracks can be sealed with good quality exterior caulkits very inexpensive and comes in many colors to match the exterior, says Lipford. If you do find areas with large cracks, you may need to use an expandable foam.

Bilotti suggests patching any areas with cracked paint because exposed wood has no barrier against moisture, which can cause more serious problems.

Make sure doors and windows are sealing properly. Since nearly half of your energy costs go to heating and cooling your home, you want to make certain that windows and doors are tightly sealed, says Bilotti. Check that weatherstripping is installed and that caulking around windows is not cracked or missing. This is also the time to remove screens and install storm windows.

If you already have weatherstripping, look whether the foams in good condition, says Lipford. If its not, take off a small strip and take it with you to the store to match it with new weather stripping because that will give you the best seal.

Protect from critters. While youre walking around, look for access points for insects and small animals, says Lipford. Closing any holes can prevent squirrels and other animals from living in your warm attic during the cold winter months and causing long-term problems. He suggests using binoculars to inspect areas around roofs instead of climbing a ladder.

Look for missing, loose or curled shingles. Look at your roof from a distance to see if there are any shingles that are missing, arent lying flat or have curled corners, says Bilotti. Fixing shingles now can help a roof last up to five years longer and prevent a bigger headache come springshingles protect the roof from water and moisture and prevent roof rot and leaks.

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How to Prep Your Home for Winter