How To Get Your Home Ready For Winter: 5 Steps

Written on: November 9, 2020

We’re just about halfway through fall 2020, and so far it’s been a mild one…but the mild weather won’t last forever, and with winter on its way to the Hudson Valley, it’s best to be prepared.

Here are five tasks to tackle as we steam toward winter 2020/21:

1. Weatherize your home – The average American home loses about an open window’s worth of conditioned air via gaps around windows and doors; take advantage of the milder weather and dodge those drafts with caulk, weather stripping, and doorsweeps. If you own an older home, make sure your insulation is up recommended R-values to avoid heat loss.
2. Check and change your filters – If you own a forced air heating system (one with vents rather than radiators or baseboards), you’ll need to check your air filters regularly throughout the heating season – about once a month, especially if you have furry pets or if someone in the house is a smoker.
3. Run your generator – With all the crazy weather and power outages we seem to have these days, propane generators are becoming more commonplace. If you have one, be sure to run it before severe winter weather kicks in. During winter, run it about once a month for 15 minutes or so to keep parts lubricated (you wouldn’t leave your car in the driveway all winter and expect it to start, would you? Same principle).
4. Fill your tank – We’re entering that time of year when severe weather and sudden cold snaps can happen any time – make sure you have enough fuel to handle any weather possibility. If you’re a will call customer, schedule a propane delivery or heating oil delivery before temperatures dip; if you’re an automatic delivery customer, we’ll take care of that for you.
5. Take care of maintenance and needed repairs – Routine maintenance is the key to lower energy bills, better equipment reliability, and longer equipment life – and yes, you need it every year, especially here in the Hudson Valley where your heating system works hard for two-thirds of the year! If you haven’t done it yet, schedule a tune-up today – or better yet, sign up for a Downey Service Plan for your oil- or propane-fired heating system and get your tune-up plus covered or discounted repairs, priority service, and more.

It’s not too late to maintain your heating system –contact us to schedule a tune-up or enroll in a Downey Service Plan today in Dutchess County, Orange County, Putnam County and northern Westchester County, NY!