Winterizing your home should start with thinking about Safety First, and the best way to ensure the safety of your HVAC system is to get a heating tune-up to be sure its efficient operation throughout the cold season.

After that’s accomplished, all you have to do is be sure you’re not wasting additional energy. You can reduce your heating costs further by doing a few simple things yourself that won’t cost a ton. One way to find out if you’re wasting energy is to do your own 5-step Energy Audit:

1.    Take a walk around the exterior of your house and check for cracks around windows and doors where cold air can come in. Also examine brick work, stucco, siding and the foundation for any gaps. And be sure to check around gas and electric lines and plumbing, too.

2.    Your next step is to get to the hardware store to purchase weather stripping, caulk and foam. The money you save on energy will be well worth the small price you pay for these materials. Then take your check list and plug those cracks and install the weather stripping. It shouldn’t take more than a couple hours depending on the amount of cracks and the size of your home.

3.    Do a similar inside audit, check for air infiltration around windows, doors and switch plates on outside walls. To find air leaks use a piece of tissue on a tooth pick or an incense stick. Air coming in will make the tissue flag wave or disperse the incense smoke. Temporary caulking can be used around windows and then removed in the spring. Foam inserts behind switch plates will eliminate that infiltration problem (be sure power to switch plates is turned off when adding insulation).

4.    Take your Energy Audit into the basement, attic or crawl space. Since insulation gets compacted over the years, add insulation to keep the heat from escaping. Check vents and duct work for leaks or separation.

5.    Turn off the water supply to outside faucets, and even cover them with insulating material. Water damage caused by broken pipes can result in untimely, expensive repairs.

FIVE WARM TIPS THAT WON’T COST YOU A PENNY

With just a few free tricks, you can quickly trim down your bloated heating bill into something a little more appetizing. Did we mention these tricks are free?

USE YOUR BLINDS
Use the sun to your advantage. After all, it’s the best source of energy we have. To maximize the sun’s heat, keep your blinds open during the day. This will allow the natural sunlight to heat the air inside your house. But once night rolls around, be sure to close those blinds, otherwise warm air will escape back through your windows, leaving you to shiver under the cold winter’s moon.

SPARE THE SPARE
Don’t pump costly warm air into your spare and vacant rooms. Simply close off any ducts in unused rooms to ensure you won’t blow a gasket when you open your heating bill.

KEEP AIR MOVING
Hot air rises. But that doesn’t exactly keep your toes warm, or any part of you for that matter. To redistribute the warmth in your house, just turn your ceiling fans on low. The ceiling fans will ensure that the hard-to-find warm air moves to heights a little closer to your heart.

DROP IT LOW
Sometimes we can surprise even ourselves. Test out your temperature tolerance by dropping your thermostat one degree each day. Keep going until the temperature in the house is just too chilly for you. Once the house gets too cold, turn it back up a degree. You can easily save some cash just by testing out your comfort zone.

BUNDLE UP
Wooly socks. A tuque. That old sweater grandma knitted for you. It doesn’t matter what your clothing of choice is, just be sure to bundle up with your preferred warm and fuzzy favorites. Because there is no reason to heat the whole house when you are the one who really needs to stay warm.

This article was provided by Service Experts. Service Experts is a professional, quality-driven company providing sales, installation, maintenance, and repair for all brands of heating, cooling, ventilation and indoor air quality (IAQ) systems. We provide Quality Service Every Visit, and we’re available to meet your needs 24/7, Daytime, Nighttime, On-Time. Our NATE-Certified Professional Technicians are qualified to work on all brands of comfort equipment. For more tips to energy-and-cost-saving ideas, visit www.ServiceExperts.ca and click on Sam’s Blog.