Fall is a lovely time of year in Southern California that divides the sweltering heat from the coming cold. You can take advantage of this mild weather by performing a few key maintenance tasks that will save you money this winter.
Insulate Your Home
Properly insulating your home is one of the best ways to ensure it is as energy efficient as possible. If your winter utility bills tend to spike in the winter, your home could benefit from additional insulation in one of these areas:
- Attic – Warm air rises, so it’s no surprise that most of your home’s heat loss in the winter occurs through the roof. You can increase the efficiency of your Southern California home’s furnace or heat pump by adding another layer of insulation to your attic.
- Water heater – If you have a traditional storage tank water heater, you can save money this winter by wrapping it in an insulating blanket. This will minimize standby heat loss and increase your water heater’s energy efficiency.
- Ductwork – Many homes’ air ducts are not insulated or do not have enough insulation. If you have sheet metal ductwork, you can purchase insulation to wrap around them. Properly insulated ducts will lower your energy bills by keeping more of your heated air inside.
Take Care of the Exterior
Even if you think the exterior of your home is in tip-top shape, you should still take a look around. The few minutes it takes to inspect your home could save you major money and headache later this winter. Here are a few specific areas you should check:
- Rain gutters – The rainy season in California runs from about November to April. While the rain here is quite unpredictable, it is not uncommon to receive downpours. So before the rain comes make sure your gutters are clear. Clogged rain gutters can cause damage to your home and/or roof.
- Doors and Windows – Make sure the weather stripping around your doors and windows is in good condition. Purchase a tube of caulk and seal around any leaky windows. For your doors, get a sealing kit from a home improvement store.
Prepare Your Furnace/Heat Pump
Before the cold weather comes, make sure your furnace or heat pump is ready with a professional tune-up. Regular heating tune-ups will save you money this winter in two ways. First, it will improve the efficiency of your furnace or heat pump. (In fact, if you get a furnace tune-up from Service Champions, we guarantee the tune-up will pay for itself.)
Second, a heating tune-up will keep you from calling a repairman later. Many calls we get from homeowners with heating problems could have been easily prevented with proper maintenance.
It’s easy to shrug off regular maintenance when everything is running fine, but doing so could cost you money later this winter. Avoid the headache and cost of problems in your home by getting these three fall maintenance tasks done.
Get your home ready for winter and let us help you ready your furnace. Schedule a tune-up online.