With Halloween passed and Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, winter is about to set in for good.
When the temperature drops, your heating bill can rise. Cold weather also means you have to worry about frost, ice, freezing pipes, and other home maintenance problems.
However, with some simple preparation, winter doesn’t have to be such a hassle. Follow these 5 easy tips to protect your home and your heating bill against damage:
1. Winterize your air conditioner
Your air conditioning unit sits outside exposed to the elements year-round. And just because it isn’t running in the winter doesn’t mean that it doesn’t need to be protected. The most simple steps to prevent against damage from ice and debris are insulating pipes and using a cover.
To insulate exposed pipes, consider using foam cut to fit and secured by bungee cords or duct tape. When the weather turns warm again, you can leave the insulation in place.
For a cover, you can find purpose-made vinyl or plastic covers, or you can simply use some plastic sheeting wrapped around the air conditioning unit and secured as well as possible with bungee cords or duct tape. When the weather starts to warm up, simply take the cover off and save it to use again next year.
2. Change or clean your furnace filter
Since we all spend more time indoors than usual during the winter, you’ll want the air you breathe to be as clean as possible. Plus, a clean filter means your furnace will operate more efficiently.
For the highest furnace efficiency and the lowest chance of germs and allergens in your home’s air, check your filter once a month during the winter.
3. Have your furnace inspected
Just like regularly checking for a clean furnace filter, having an annual inspection and/or tune-up will make sure your furnace is running as efficiently and safely as it can. Just a small repair, part replacement, or adjustment can mean significant savings on your heating bill.
For any of your heating and air conditioning repair or replacement needs in central Arkansas, contact BR McGinty online or by calling 501-847-6800. We are on call 24 hours a day!
