Fall is the perfect time to perform some maintenance on your home in order to increase home energy efficiency. Perform the following five tasks this fall and you’ll not only benefit from the added home energy efficiency when the chilly weather arrives, but you’ll also minimize the risk of breakdowns during the winter.
- Clean your gutters – During the fall, your home’s rain gutters are bound to attract a certain amount of leaves and other types of debris. Make sure that you clean your gutters out. Although snow isn’t an issue in Yuma, it does rain. If your gutters can’t properly drain rainfall away from the house, it can result in water leaking into your home.
- Improve insulation – It may not snow in the Yuma area, but it does get chilly, especially in December and January. Add insulation to your attic to keep heat from escaping from your home. Insulating your floors can help keep them warm as well, and insulating your walls will keep cold air from coming in. (As with most of these tips, adding insulation offers benefits during the summer as well.)
- Seal air leaks – Check for air leaks around the frames of your windows and doors, as well as around electrical outlets and recessed lighting fixtures. You’ll want to seal them up to keep cold air from leaking in and warm air from escaping during the winter.
- Prepare the fireplace – If you plan on using your fireplace this winter, you’ll want to make sure it’s safe to do so. Have the fireplace and chimney inspected and cleaned. Any obstructions in your chimney, such as bird nests or other debris, can catch fire or prevent smoke from safely rising out of your home.
- Change your filters – Changing or cleaning your furnace or heat pump filters will make your heating system run much more efficiently and maintain good air quality.
Perform these five tasks to increase home energy efficiency and prepare for the short winter ahead. Contact Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company for more information about increasing home energy efficiency. We have been serving homeowners in the Yuma area since 1952.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about improving home energy efficiency and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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