Prepare for Winter Now

The time to prepare your home for winter is now, before winter arrives and while your service providers still have open schedules.

Cost for energy will likely go up another 15% this year. So any energy savings you make mean you will save money as well as do a good thing for the Earth!

There are many simple low cost things you can do, or you can call us to get them done for you.

Be sure to service your furnace. Oil furnaces need service every year and gas every two years. Change the filter and have extras on hand. Just like your car, a smooth running furnace will use less fuel.

Inefficient furnaces are candidates for switch out. In this case we can rezone your system and/or replace with a high efficient system.

Install a carbon monoxide sensor in your furnace room. It could save your life.

Install a programmable thermostat. This inexpensive device can save hundreds of dollars a month by timing when your home uses fuel only when you need it, instead of 24 hours a day.

Air leaks must be sealed. Leaks are the major source of home energy loss. We can provide a home pressure test to help find the leaks in your home so we can seal them.

Insulation. Its not sexy but it works if the proper system and type for your home are used. Its not even very expensive. I insulated the attics and crawl space in my home last year. My home’s energy use dropped 70% in ’09 for the month of July as compared to July in ’08. I was very happy about that!

If you have a fireplace have it cleaned and checked for safe function. Even better you should consider having us install a gas fireplace insert or wood burning fireplace insert. These two work as auxiliary heating for your home, creating their own zone. At the same time these units seal your home since a major source of home air leaks is a fireplace chimney. We have some very attractive models to choose from.

In addition to saving you money on energy, many of these changes are eligible for Federal tax breaks. We can direct you to sources for information on these tax breaks.