XINCA Tech Services

Not looking forward to being cooped up in the house all winter long? Well, as wintertime is indeed inevitable, why not at least make your home a better place to spend the season? Here are 10 unique tips, tools, and snippets of advice to help you and your home survive winter with ease:

1.

What could possibly be worse than clogged gutters in the wintertime? Cleaning gutters any time of the year is undesirable enough (and also a rather hazardous chore too). But over the winter, when cold rain, sleet, and snow bring down all of the remaining leaves on the trees that somehow didn’t manage to come down in the fall, gutters and downspouts still can become clogged up. Problem is, clogged gutters do cause serious trouble when the ice and snow sets in. With so many effective designs to choose from, having a form of gutter protection installed is just an incredibly wise thing to do.

2.

Take credit…a tax credit, that is. By having energy efficient appliances and features installed in your home this winter, you’re likely making yourself eligible to receive federal tax credits. Eligible improvements include some types of HVAC systems, windows, insulation, water heaters, roofs, and many more improvements as well. Check out the complete list of applicable tax credits here on energystar.gov. These credits are continuing in 2010, but probably won’t last forever-this winter might just be the right time to take advantage and make your home both more energy efficient and quite a bit cozier for the season.

3.

Is it getting to be about time to upgrade your home’s heating system? Dual-fuel heating systems are really catching on for the beneficial energy savings they allow. Basically, this type of heating system deploys both a traditional fuel-fired furnace and also a heat pump unit. By controlling it all with a smart thermostat, it’s able to heat your home using the most affordable energy option, and will even automatically switch between the two based on preset configuration. It’s definitely worth asking your HVAC pro about this option (and don’t forget to ask about the tax credit too).

4.

Overcome the wintertime blues with a whole house entertainment system. Pro installers make the job easier, but the wireless technology available for a whole house audio/video system has progressed to become quite the “wow” factor lately. You’ll have note your exact requirements and choose a system to fit the bill, but one thing is for sure-what these setups can do has never been as incredible as the latest round of innovation has established. They’re easier to install and operate (and increasingly less expensive) as well. One final note-the latest round of LCD (with LED technology) and Plasma High Definition TVs are also more affordable and more energy efficient than ever before. If you’ve been waiting, this might be the right time.

5.

If you thought the only green way to remove snow was with a shovel and lots of back-breaking energy expenditure, think again. Electric-powered snow blowers are not only much more environmentally-friendly than their gas & oil powered brethren…they’re also generally less expensive, weigh less, and are easier to operate too. And yes, for bigger snow removal jobs, there are even hybrid-power snow blowers out there.

6.

Expanding foam is incredible. Any time there’s an equation where a four dollar bottle of expanding spray foam can save you up to a hundred dollars or more on heating costs thanks to resolving a few pesky drafts and leaks, the final tally is definitely a win-win for all involved. Chances are you probably already know exactly where your home’s air leaks are-why not plug the weaknesses this year, stay warm, and spend less while doing it?

7.

Ready for this little known wintertime secret? Having a gutter cover installed not only keep your gutters clean as we’ve discussed before-it also does a great job preventing ice dams from forming on your roofline and causing loads of damage. If you’ve ever had problems with ice dams before, you surely know how much of a problem they are. Again, the good news is that the icy winter issue can be nipped in the bud before it happens to your home with effective gutter covers.

8.

Take advantage of the contractor slow season. Especially in climate zones with cold winters, the jobs out there for contractors tend to slow down quite a bit over the winter months. This is the perfect time to hire the pros for all of those small indoor jobs-you know, the kind that everyone “was too busy for” last summer. Now is your chance to get all of those “honey-do’s” crossed off the list once and for all.

9.

Going away for an extended period of time this winter? The advent of internet-based home automation technology has created some really cool home management and security gadgets. Whereas the standard alarm system and alarm company monitoring service used to be the standard, these days, you can have an entire home automation system installed for practically the same price as an alarm system alone used to cost. Such a system will provide essential security; plus, it’ll randomly control lighting, automate your home’s heating, and even allow you to keep an eye on things remotely via webcam.

And as a final note-this tip could help both you and your home survive the winter:

10.

Make sure that both your carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors are properly installed, functioning, loaded with fresh batteries, and that they are simply not too old. That’s right, these essential life safety devices do have a limited lifespan. If you’re not sure, then by all means, have them replaced. CO2 is deadly; and unfortunately, most victims never even knew there was a problem until it was too late.

Be sure to take good care of yourself, your family, and your home this winter!

Source: Home Improvement Advisors