Summer is the perfect time to lay out on the beach, catch up on much-needed sleep, and bask in warmer weather. However, it’s also one of the best times of year to make necessary home inspections and repairs. If you want to save money this winter you better act quickly before the colder weather sets in.
Even though we’re all looking forward to the impending football season, these last fleeting weeks of summer are your last chance to take advantage of warmer weather. Here are some money-saving fixes you should make to thrive this winter despite the cold.
Get your attic insulated
A properly insulated attic can save the average homeowner between 10 and 50% on their annual heating and cooling bills. If you haven’t already installed new attic insulation this summer, prepping your attic before the winter is a necessity unless you want your money to fly out along with the draft.
The emphasis on this point relies on the job being done properly. It’s worth it to call a professional if there’s a threat of injury. A bone fracture alone can take up to 10 weeks to heal on its own, let alone bruised ribs or a broken arm.
Seal it with a kiss
Or better yet, seal your home with a good caulk. While insulation does a great job protecting your basement and attic, sealing cracks and drafts are a necessity for the breadwinner on a budget.
A properly insulated home in conjunction with the right sealants can save a homeowner nearly 11% on their total energy costs.
On top of that, it’s important to seal cracks or gaps in your home’s exterior to prevent cold critters and pests from getting in. While everyone loves seeing a chipmunk on their daily walk, it’s less pleasant to hear them gnawing away at your wooden beams all night. Seal any cracks and inspect the exterior of your home for ways they can get in.
Prepare the outside of your home, not just the inside
For many people, their garden is their pride and joy. It’s important to remember to trim your trees, remove suckers, and deadhead roses. Your garden needs special care if you want it to look great come spring. You should also keep in mind that certain plants also bloom in the fall. If you want to profit on your spinach, lettuce, and onions, start planting now to harvest later.
While many avid gardeners recognize the importance of preparing their plant life for cooler weather, many more often forget to secure the non-living aspects of their garden. If you don’t properly store and prepare your gardening tools including your wheelbarrow, fence posts, and irrigation system, you may be in for a nasty surprise come spring.
To prevent buying all new materials when gardening weather returns, be sure to maintain the outside of your home just as well as the inside. Don’t forget to clean your gutters and be sure to properly store any sensitive materials, including your boat. Boating property damage rang up a bill of nearly $49 million in 2016. It’s up to you to prevent that from happening again this winter.
Inspect your HVAC system
If you want to stay warm this winter, now is the perfect time to inspect your HVAC unit. This will prevent costs from spiking during the busy winter months and is less likely to cause a complete breakdown when winter sets in and your unit starts working overtime. Not only will this save you money in costly repairs, it will boost the performance of your unit thereby saving you money in the long run.
This includes inspecting your ducts, repairing any leaks, and oiling any gears that need greasing. On top of that, you must replace your air filter once cooler weather sets in and change it every six weeks that your system is in use. This not only helps the allergy-sufferers in your home, it improves the efficiency of your HVAC unit.
You might also want to think about buying a new HVAC unit if you haven’t replaced yours in the last decade. New improvements to HVAC technology have resulted in more energy-efficient machines and more durable models. The new national standards for furnaces demand an efficiency of 78%.
If you have a wood fireplace or stove, it is especially important to get it cleaned and inspected by a professional. A build-up in your chimney can cause chimney fires and poor ventilation, which puts your family at risk. You should also close the fireplace damper when your fireplace isn’t in use; this will prevent air from escaping your home up the chimney and into the sky.
There are plenty of ways to save money this winter, but only if you think ahead. Last minute repairs and inspections can cause your budget to suffer. If you work on improving your home maintenance earlier, this will prevent your bank account from suffering later.
While every home is different, most homes have these key features that require the proper inspection, replacement, and storage. Strike while the sun is still hot.
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