As we recently mentioned in a post about gas fireplace inserts on our BelRed blog, fall is upon us. The night temperatures are beginning to drop and it’s time to start thinking about how to make your home as efficient as possible this winter. As you’re aware, heating your home and keeping it performing at a high standard requires preparation. In this blog post series, we’ll bullet out some tips to make sure you’re ready for anything winter can throw at you when it comes to challenging your home’s energy efficiency and performance.
- Change the direction of your ceiling fans. Many don’t know that your ceiling fans can be just as effective in keeping you comfortable during the colder fall and winter months as they can be during the summer. Ceiling fans have two different directional settings that can be easily switched back in forth. During the summer, the fan should spin counter-clockwise, pushing the air down and creating a cooling effect. During the colder months, you can change the switch to cause the fan to spin clockwise, which creates an upward flow of air in the room. This recirculates warm air that has risen and sends it back down, making the room more efficient and taking some of the load off your heating supply.
- Check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure all smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors (or combinations of the two if you have them) are in proper working order. Change the batteries during this time of year even if you’ve tested the unit and they are working. Remember, the team at BelRed can help you determine and install the most comprehensive smoke and CO detection for your home. Just give us a call to set up an appointment.
- Check your backup generator now. If your home uses a backup generator for when the power goes out, it’s probably a good idea to start it up now to make sure it’s in working order. You don’t want to be caught out in the cold trying to start or fix it with no luck. Also, make sure you have set aside some gas if it’s a separate unit to ensure you’re ready for when you need it.
This series has outlined just a few of the many steps you can take to make sure your house is ready for the colder months ahead.. At BelRed, we’re all about high home performance and saving you energy (and money!). Don’t hesitate to reach out and learn the best ways you can prepare for the cold months ahead with BelRed’s help.
