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Despite the warm weather this week, cooler temperatures will be here soon. Be ready for winter by considering your home's maintenance needs and then make a plan for getting them done. Doing so today may be the difference between an unexpected purchase or costly repair later on this season. So, take a minute to scroll through the following list and ask yourself what you can scratch off your to-do list today.
1. Use an anti-transpirant spray on broadleaf evergreens, like hollies, to help lock in moisture. “It's kind of like chapstick for plants,” says Jen Schamber, general manager at Greenscape Gardens.
2. Apply mulch to plant beds to insulate roots, retain moisture, and add curb appeal. “It’s like giving plants a cozy blanket,” says Schamber. Now is also a good time to spruce up your porch pots by removing dead spring flowers and filling them in with evergreens like spruce, boxwood, and cypress or incorporate wintergreen cuttings, birch logs, and branches.
3. Keep watering existing landscape and newly planted trees and shrubs until the ground freezes at least weekly. “St. Louis can experience long dry spells in November and December that are especially hard on evergreens,” says David Sherwood, owner of Sherwood’s Forest Nursery & Garden Center.
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4. Inspect all trees for deadwood or branches that fall too close to the house. Then, hire an arborist to prune as needed. Set up a winter dormant oil spraying to your landscape, says Sherwood. According to information from the Missouri Botanical Garden website, oil sprays kill insects and insect eggs primarily by smothering and suffocating, not by chemical action.
5. Check your ventilation. If you can see daylight around your door while it’s closed, you need to install weatherstripping to keep out the cold. Use weatherstripping and caulk around windows and doors to seal air leaks and keep cool air from entering the house. Taking the time to do this can save homeowners 5 to 10 percent on heating bills, says Page Selby, manager of customer advocacy for Ameren Missouri. For more suggestions about how to save energy and money specific to your lifestyle, Selby recommends logging onto Ameren’s new Energy Manager tool, which can be accessed online through individual Ameren Missouri accounts.
6. Set your water heater at 120° F or lower to save up to $61 a year without sacrificing comfortably hot water.
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7. Replace your home’s five most used light bulbs with ENERGY STAR® certified bulbs. According to the experts at Ameren, by so doing homeowners could save up to $75 a year.
8. Give your furnace some TLC. Check filters for dust buildup at least once every three months. Set reminders on your smartphone to help you remember.
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9. Schedule an appointment to have your furnace inspected by a natural gas contractor to make sure it’s performing at its peak, says Paul Englert, energy efficiency representative with Spire Energy. “If your furnace is older, install a high-efficiency unit before it gets really cold out and it stops working. By planning ahead, you can make an informed decision about what to buy, and not be in a rush to take the first thing available.” Working with a natural gas contractor vetted by Spire can also make homeowners eligible for rebates and other offers.
10. Buy high-quality MERV filters for maximum airflow and dust removal.
11. Reverse the ceiling fans in your home. Switching the direction of your ceiling fans so that they turn clockwise pushes warm air down, redistributing heat throughout the room.
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12. Install a carbon monoxide detector or make sure the one you have is working properly. “Carbon monoxide can come from poorly drafting furnaces and furnaces with cracked heat exchangers,” says Marshall Mason, weatherization coordinator with the Jefferson Franklin County Community Action Corporation. “I also highly recommend carbon monoxide detectors in homes with electric heat as well. Temporary use of kerosene and propane space heaters during wintertime power outages also pose a major CO threat.”
13. Crack a window. “It's important to have a steady flow of fresh air coming into your home in the winter. Poorly ventilated homes represent major health issues, such as colds and flu and other respiratory issues such as asthma,” says Mason, whose agency offers weatherization assistance to households that meet certain income guidelines. Homeowners can rely on mechanical ventilation systems or simply crack a window. “If you use the second method, be safe, and make sure to secure the sash with sash stoppers to keep out unwanted guests.”
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14. Disconnect hoses from the house. And don’t forget to winterize an unheated pool bathroom, outdoor kitchen, and ice maker to help prevent pipes from bursting, says Matthew Cerretti, project manager with Tegethoff Homes.
15. Don’t forget the sprinkler system. Cerretti suggests homeowners with built-in sprinkler systems call their irrigation companies to let them know when they’re ready to shut their systems down for the season. “The company would then come out and use compressed air to remove any water left in their back flow device, sprinkler lines, and heads.”
