Winter's Coming. Is Your House Ready?

Old Man Winter isn't going to be knocking on your door for a few more months, but believe it or not, now's the ideal time to start preparing your house for his arrival.

It won't take much – just a few quick projects and a routine visit from your friendly Aire Serv associate. Then, once it's time to unpack your winter clothes, stock up on cold medicine, prune the shrubs, and – ugh – start thinking about your Christmas list, you'll have one less thing to worry about. Besides, you don't want to wait until the first freeze only to find yourself huddled around the fireplace because the heater's not working.

Nope, that just won't do. Instead, follow these simple steps to a happy hearth and home come winter's chill.

Service with A Smile
"The worst mistake people make is not having their heating unit properly services and inspected, " says Steve Lauber, owner of an Aire Serv franchise in Gillette, New Jersey. "Your equipment will fail much sooner if it's not properly maintained. So while you may think you're saving money by avoiding an $80 service call, you're really just setting yourself up for a $500 repair bill." Keep in mind, too, that many manufacturers require routine annual service to ensure the warranty on your unit.

Don't think you'll remember to schedule your pre-winter checkup when you've practically just put away the pool toys? Don't worry. Outfits like Aire Serv offer service plans in which they'll call and remind you when it's time to make your net appointment.

Speaking of timing, experts warn you not to wait until cold weather hits to find out if you have heat or not. Before Thanksgiving or even Halloween, go ahead and turn on your unit and make sure it's working.

"People in Minnesota aren't going to be the ones whose pipes freeze or whose heaters go without services," says Michael Porter, owner of an Aire Serv franchise in Washington State. "It's the people in places like Seattle, where we are, who don't expect it and don't prepare for it." In fact, procrastinate too long, and your local heating professionals are liable to be booked up for days.

Safety First
Remember the time you built that beautiful roaring fire in the fireplace but forgot to open the flue first and you ended up with a living room full of smoke? Well, your preseason to-do list should include a few important items to help keep you safe as well as warm. For example, before you turn on your furnace, make sure there's nothing flammable stored nearby. Then, once you do turn on your system, check for any strange odors. Dust will accumulate on your unit's heat exchanger when it's not in use, so some odor is normal when the dust first burns off. But if the smell continues, you may have a serious problem on your hands.

A good carbon monoxide detector is also essential. A gaseous byproduct that's present whenever fuel is burned, carbon monoxide is one of the most dangerous chemicals in your home. It's also colorless and odorless, so if your heating unit has a leak, you'd never know it without a carbon monoxide detector. Of course, a detector – carbon monoxide or otherwise – is only as good as its batteries, so be sure to check them regularly.

Dreaded Be Thy Gas Bill
A good portion of your winter – readiness workup should relate to not only having heat, but keeping it. Check the seals around your doors, windows, and even your electrical outlets to see if any air is escaping. Be sure you have adequate insulation in the attic, basement, and any crawl spaces. (Nine inches is generally recommended amount.) Replace any broken windowpanes. Change or clean your furnace's filters, as dirty, clogged filters are said to use almost twice as much gas. Consider, too, the age of your unit. "If your unit is more than 15 years old," says Porter, "it's not only more likely to break down, it's much less efficient. So it may be time for an upgrade." An upgrade may also be necessary if your house has outgrown your heater. Say you added on a huge master suite, but kept your same old furnace, which now has to work too hard to heat the added square footage.

The latter example, of course, is beyond that of the average do-it-yourselfer, so you'll have to call in the pros. But you can also work with companies like Aire Serv to tackle some of the smaller, but still specialized, energy-saving tasks on your pre-winter program, like adding a programmable thermostat to your unit if it doesn't already have one. These adjustable controls cut costs by lowering the temperature a few degrees each night after you're safely tucked under the covers, but warming it back up again before your feet even hit the floor. In fact, according to the Northern States Power Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for every degree you set your thermostat back per eight-hour period, you'll save 1 percent of your total heating bill. Other estimates have it even higher. But programmable thermostats do more than just save you money: They maintain a steady temperature in your house and keep you in a constant state of warm and cozy.

Taking that a step further, you might consider installing a complete zoning system, which targets certain problem areas of your house. For example, if your daughter's room never seems to get warm but your son's room is always sweltering, the amount of heat going to those specific areas can be adjusted accordingly.

Adding a humidifier to your home's heating unit can also save you a few bucks when it comes time to write a check for the utility bill. So can closing off any rooms that you're not currently using. (Just like you wouldn't put gas in a car that's not running, there's no reason to heat a room that no one goes in.) And don't forget our friend the ceiling fan, which isn't just for keeping you cool in the summer. Ceiling fans circulate the warm, heated air that rises and spread it throughout the room.

So there you have it, advice from the experts on preparing your humble abode for winter weather. As I write this, there are only 97 days until Christmas, which means there's even less time to get your house in order for what December, January, and February may bring. Don't get left out in the cold.

A PRESEASON PRESCRIPTION FOR A HEALTHY WINTER HOME

Have your heating unit professionally inspected and maintained.
Order a service plan that reminds you when it's time for a checkup.
Clean or replace any filters.
Look for any ductwork leaks, gaps, cracks, etc. that could let air escape and make your unit work harder.
Check the batteries on your carbon monoxide detector. If you don't have one, get one!