5 Essentials to Winterizing Your Home

By: Alicia Schuller, Marketing Coordinator, NHS of Baltimore

While there are many things you can do to winterize your home, NHS of Baltimore offers these 5 essential tips that will save you money and maximize your comfort during the winter season.

Insulate Your Attic:
Making sure your attic is properly and tightly insulated will trap more heat in the home and prevent it from escaping through the roof. Be sure your insulation is at least 12 inches thick.

Test and Inspect Your Furnace and Heating System:
Be sure to fire up your furnace at least once before Jack Frost pays a visit, to ensure it is working properly. Also, if you have central heating, have an inspector come to your home at least once a year to ensure that the ductwork is secure and firmly insulated.

Secure Your Windows:
Installing your storm windows when the temperatures begin to fall is an easy way to insulate your home. Replacing old and outdated windows is also important although it can be quite costly. If money is tight try budgeting to pay for a couple windows at a time.

Seal Leaky Areas:
Pinpoint the trouble areas in your home where you can feel drafts coming through. Door and window frames can be caulked easily and should be sealed on both the interior and exterior of your home. Use a door sweep underneath the opening of your door id air is entering through.

Clean Your Gutters:
Too much debris in your gutters when winter comes can cause major issues. It can clog drainage and prevent melting snow from running off properly and away from your home. Instead, it can back up and seep into the home causes water damage and others problems.

NHS of Baltimore offers low-interest, deferrable loans for housing rehab and maintenance to help pay for housing essentials such as new heating, new windows, new roofing and lots more.