Home Care During Fall and Winter

Fall is in full swing and #Halloween and #Diwali is around the corner. I sure you are feeling that in the air around. For homeowners, it's also about the responsibilities that come with your home - preparing it for the changing seasons and maximizing energy efficiency.

Here's a simple checklist to make sure you're fall-ready:

 Make sure you turn off the back yard and garage water tap

Go to basement and find the water valves for backyard and garage, now is the time to turn them off. Once you turn them off, make sure you open the valve from outside so the water remained in the valve drains out. This will prevent the pipe bursting during the cold winter season.

 Make sure your home is sufficiently insulated
Check your basements, attics and walls to ensure that your home is still properly insulated. Check windows for cracks or opportunities to re-caulk. Just remember, a well insulated home is an energy efficient home - and heating and cooling costs add up quickly!

 Review your heater systems
Proper maintenance of your heater and boiler systems will result in energy savings. Make sure they're clean and operating as they should be. If there are any glitches, repair immediately - this is crucial to energy efficiency in a home during the winter.

 Fall cleaning: your ventilation system
For health and energy reasons, a thorough cleaning of your vents is necessary. Check for obstruction in them - make sure they're clear and clean them. Remember: heat rises. This means in the winter you should have main-leveled vents opened completely to maximize the heat in your home.

 Replace your air filters
Avoid HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) system failure by getting new filters. Don't let dirt collected on your old filters slow down - or worse - burn out the motor. Allow clean air to flow throughout your home without any restrictions. Clean air makes your family happy.