Winter is here.  Use these winterizing tips to avoid feeling cold, expensive hydro bills and damages that might be caused.  The following tips will help you to stay warm, help you to save money on your hydro bill and help you to avoid any major damages such as pipes bursting due to the freezing temperatures.

  1.  CLEAN THE EAVESTROUGHS
Your gutters will be blocked with fallen leaves.  This will help to drain water and to prevent any leaks.  Put up a ladder, bring up a plastic bucket and gloves to clean them out by hand.  Once that is done get a hose and rinse the eavestroughs to get rid of any remaining dirt.  Also make sure that the downspouts are turned away from the house to avoid flooding.

  2.  SEAL THE WINDOWS
You may have noticed that the windows often have drafts that let the outside air in and as a result will spike up your hydro bill.  An easy way to test this is to light a candle and move it around the window.  There is a draft coming in where the candle flickers.  To fix it, reseal the caulking around the window to prevent the cold air getting in and the extra dollars from getting out.

  3.  CLEAN OUT THE GARAGE
Most of us are guilty of using our garages as extra storage.  It is the perfect time to clean it out and safely store our cars inside during the next snowstorm or cold weather.  This saves time in the morning from scrapping off our cars with snow and ice.  

  4.  GET THE FIREPLACE READY
If you’ll be using your fireplace a lot, get an annual inspection done to make sure it will run smoothly.  If you don’t plan on using it, seal it off to prevent cold air getting into your home.  If you don’t have a fireplace, consider an electric one to help heat up your home and to give a cozy feeling during the winter.

  5.  DRAIN THE HOSE PIPES
Turn off the water to the hose from the valve inside your house.  Then turn the hose on from outside to let all the water drain out.  This will prevent the hose pipes from bursting in the cold that may result in a major repair.

  6.  STORE YOUR PATIO FURNITURE
Clean your outdoor patio furniture and store them in your garage.  If there is no room in your garage cover them up with a tarp that you will find at a hardware store.

  7.  PREPARE YOUR FURNACE
Turn on your furnace to make sure that it fires up.  There may be an odour at first, if it lasts a long time, call a professional to get it inspected.  During the winter check your filters monthly and change them when they are too dirty to ensure the proper air flow to your home.

  8.  PROGRAM YOUR THERMOSTAT
Program the thermostat so that the furnace turns on to heat up the house every time it reaches a certain temperature.  This way you will not have to adjust the temperature and it will save you money on your hydro bill.  If you do not have one you can program, you can purchase one for as low as $34.99.

  9.  BLOCK DRAFTS
Fix drafts around the house.  Check areas like around doors, pot lights, and the outside of your home.  Small cracks outdoors can affect the temperature inside your house.  Seal the leaks with weather resistant caulk.  Install outlet gaskets to electrical wire and outlets that share your house’s outer walls.

  10. RUN CEILING FANS IN REVERSE
Most people think fans only help when they want to be cool, but many ceiling units come with a handy switch that reverses the direction of the blades. Counterclockwise rotation produces cooling breezes, while switching to clockwise makes it warmer. Air pooled near the ceiling is circulated back into the living space—cutting your heating costs as much as 10 percent!