November 9, 2016

By Gilbert VandenHeuvel

Prep your House for the cold

Time will tell if this coming winter will be Ice Cold and Snowy like the Farmer’s Almanac predicts.

Either way, we are all looking for ways to save a few dollars this year on heating costs.  Continue reading to find suggestions on how to do that.

INSIDE YOUR HOME

• First thing to do is change the smoke alarm batteries and the whole unit if it’s  more then 10 years old.   It won’t save money but it could save you  and your family’s life.

                  Look around for pricing on these 9 volt batteries.  There can be a big difference from one place to another.

• If your home has some windows that are not used often or really needs some help, a handy way to increase insulation value of the glass is to apply bubble wrap to them.  In this video, just water is used to pre-spray the window, others have used a mixture of soapy water and bleach.  Make sure you take it off every year or the bubble wrap will stick to the window and create a big job to scrape it off.  (this keeps heat out in the summer too)

• Change your furnace filter.  Letting the air move freely reduces the time your fan has to run thus saving electricity costs.

• Putting seals behind light switches and receptacles stops drafts quickly with little effort.   For $10 or $15 you probably can get enough of these seals to do your whole house.   If you happen to have a heat gun, it would be interesting to check temperature of the switch or receptacle before and after you install the seal.

• There is a Home Reno Rebate offered by the Ontario Gov’t through the Green Investment Fund that can give a $5000 rebate to qualified home owners.  CLICK HERE for more information.

OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSE

• Your outdoor air conditioner, bikes, BBQ and a host of other stuff that sits outside will last longer if you protect them from the elements.  Specially made covers work fine but are expensive.  Tarps often come on sale and can make a fine cover or watch this video so you can make covers for anything using common vapour barrier and an iron.   CLICK HERE

  

•  Out door water taps need to be shut off and hoses disconnected.  Closing any indoor valves will make sure nothing freezes and breaks this winter.  Water spray guns and sprinklers will last longer if they are kept inside so any water doesn’t expand and break the little plastic parts inside.

• To avoid spring time starting problems with your gas powered lawn mower you have two options:

  • empty the carburetor of gas by turning off the gas to the carburetor and let the engine run until it runs out of gas.   This stops any chances of the gas gumming up the delicate parts inside the carburetor during it’s hibernation.

  • Add fuel stabilizer to your gas tank.  Be sure to add the correct amount and let the engine run as prescribed by additive instructions.