Ways to winterize your home, save money

By Christy Millweard - bio

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KFVS) -
With colder weather, people start to think about how to winterize their home.
"Make sure your filters are changed constantly, monthly," said Chris Janet, with Dutch Enterprises.
He suggests a number of things for people to do in order to keep their homes warm, and their heating bills down.
He says if your furnace is more than 15 years old, it might be time to get a new, more efficient model.
"A lot of people will just set it and leave their home all day," said Janet talking about the home's thermostat. "Well it's costing the homeowner and economy a lot of money."
For that, Janet suggests a programmable thermostat. If you're leaving town, keep your heat on at at least 55 degrees so your pipes don't freeze.
Janet suggests adding insulation in your home, and not just in your attic, your basement too.
"You're losing a lot of the heat in your home through un-insulated areas," said Janet.
He also says there's something that takes little effort, that can be very helpful.
"Run your ceiling fans in the Winter clockwise, that will take the heat that rises to your ceiling and push that heat back down to the livable space, in the Summertime then, the fans should rotate counter clockwise which will then create a cool breeze," said Janet.
Janet says you can save money by turning down the temperature on your water heater's thermostat. He says 120 degrees is usually hot enough for the typical homeowner.
Check the sealants on your home. Test for cool air coming through doors and windows. You might need to add weather stripping to seals off the opening.
"You lose as much as 30 to 40 percent of your air, in your basement," said Janet. "That's why duct sealing is important in a home. If you seal the duct work and make sure all the air is going where you want it, and that's in the livable space, you can save a lot of money."
Be sure to test smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide detectors. Janet says this time of year is when people are using more gas appliances, and so it's important to make sure these detectors work properly. If an alarm is older than 10 years, it might be time to replace it.
"These are important points to make, because not only can we save the homeowner a lot of money, but in make sure systems are safe to operate and in particular gas appliances, we want the homeowner to be safe," said Janet.
Experts say it can also be a good time to pack an emergency kit with things like: a flashlight, candles, matches, batteries, utility company's number, and a blanket.
Here's a full list from Dutch Enterprises:

1. Furnace Tune-Up: Have certified HVAC professional give your furnace a tune-up.
2. Furnace Replacement: Upgrade to a higher efficient furnace.
3. Change filters once per month.
4. Consider a programmable thermostat.
5. Install a Carbon Monoxide detector.
6. Seal Ductwork: Most homes experience 30-40% duct loss.
7. Reverse Ceiling Fans: clockwise pushes warm air down, counter-clockwise creates a cooling breeze.
8. Winterize Plumbing Lines: Insulate water lines, know where your main water shut off is located, drain garden hoses and disconnect, set thermostat at 55 degrees if gone on vacation.
9. Turn down water heater: set at 120 degrees.
10. Weatherization: Caulk or weather strip around doors and windows, insulate band boards, and check attic insulation.