Home Winterization Checklist
Ways to Save
Now more than ever, households are looking for ways to economize. Now is a great time to prepare your home for the winter. By winterizing your Sullivan County home, you’ll help lower your energy costs. As you prepare to winterize your home, consider who will be in your home and when. You’ll make different choices if you home will be empty for long stretches of time or if it will always be occupied.
Here are six steps you can take to save money on your energy bills this winter (and beyond):
- Adjust your thermostat: This is a great way to see a noticeable change in your energy bills. Lower your thermostat for the times when everyone in your household will be away or asleep. If your home will be empty for an extended length of time this winter, you want to make sure your thermostat is set so that your home isn’t being kept as warm as it would need to be if there were people in it, but is still high enough that your home won’t get cold enough for your pipes to freeze and potentially burst. If you do end up with frozen pipes, Black Bear can help. We offer affordable plumbing repairs and services.
- Turn down the temperature on your water heater: Any time your home will go unused for an extended period of time this winter, there’s no need to keep your home’s water quite as hot. Heating water accounts for almost 20% of your home’s energy costs. Lots of water heaters have a vacation setting. If yours doesn’t, lower the temperature 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit whenever your home will be empty for a few days or more.
- Unplug energy suckers: Many of the appliances and electronic devices in our home consume energy even when they’re not being used. Whether you’re going away on a trip or simply know you won’t be using an appliance or device for days on end, you can afford to unplug them. Think about which things you can leave unplugged and see your electric bill decrease. Here are some examples: microwaves, food processors, coffee makers, chargers, TVs, washers and dryers, printers, and gaming systems.
- Don’t go completely dark: If you’re planning to leave your home for an extended period of time this winter, you might be tempted to unplug everything, but that’s actually not a great idea. A home that stays dark day and night can attract burglars. A good way to find a balance between home safety and energy savings is to install motion sensors on your outdoor lights and set some of your indoor lights on timers.
- Insulate and seal air leaks: Sealing off leaks and adding insulation will save you money all winter whether you’re home or not. In fact, it will save you money all year long by making your home more energy efficient. Caulking windows and adding weather stripping to doors will save on both your winter heating costs and summer cooling costs. So will adding insulation.
- Contact your heating oil provider: If you’re planning to be away from home for an extended period of time and receive automatic heating oil delivery from Black Bear Fuel Oil, let us know. This will help us better calculate your delivery schedule and deliver fuel just when you need it.
In addition to affordable heating oil delivery, Black Bear provides the best heating and plumbing services in Orange County, Sullivan County, and Ulster County. We’re big enough to handle any job, but small enough to care about you.
Contact us today to learn more about the services we offer and to make sure your come is ready for the winter.