Winter warm-up

Get your house ready before cold weather sets in, By John O’Connell With heating bills expected to soar, performing a few maintenance chores this fall may pay dividends when the weather turns frigid. One of the best ways to have a comfortable home and control heating costs is to have the furnace checked each year. But this chore is probably best left to professionals. A routine furnace check involves examining the flue and chimney, checking electrical connections, gas pressure, filters, blower speed, safety controls, heat exchanger, calibrating the thermostat, vacuuming out the furnace area and lubricating moving parts. “When you winterize your home, servicing the furnace is the first place to start,” said Mike Fritch, owner of Fritch Heating and Cooling. “A furnace that isn’t working efficiently is wasting energy and can be unsafe.” Heating a home is the largest energy expense and can account for as much as two-thirds of annual energy bills, according to the Department of Energy. Fritch said furnace problems typically arise with the first arctic blast of the year, when the furnace runs continuously. “That’s when the problems show up and service calls are backed up,” Fritch said. “It’s best to have your furnace checked now.” Some energy savings can be done with the twist of a dial. For every degree a person lowers his furnace thermostat there is a corresponding savings of 2 to 3 percent on the heating bill. You can save as much as 10 percent a year on your heating and cooling bills by simply turning your thermostat back 10 to 15 percent for eight hours. This can be done automatically at night or when you are not at home by installing a programmable thermostat. “I keep my thermostat at home at 67 degrees during the winter months,” said Leigh Morris, a spokesperson for Ameren Corp., which provides energy to more than 2 million customers. “And I’m very comfortable. But I also keep the humidity level up in my home. Humid air makes you feel warmer than dry air. So people may want to think about getting a humidifier.” Experts advise changing normal furnace filters every month and high-efficiency ones every three months. And every fall, make sure the registers to a basement area are open, Fritch recommends. “Warm floors make a comfortable environment,” he said. “Heat will rise from the basement. It won’t be wasted.” The second-largest consumer of gas is the water heater. Morris recommends turning the water heater’s thermostat down to the low setting or 120 degrees in order to save energy and money. “Even on the low setting it will provide all the hot water you need, and it is safer,” Morris said. An insulated jacket that slides over the water heater also can help hold the heat in. But not all models can use a jacket. Morris also recommends draining the water heater each year in order to remove sediment that builds up in the tank. For some homeowners, heat is literally going through the roof. Check to see if your attic is properly insulated. It will help keep your home warm in winter and cool in summer. “A home with zero attic insulation will lose 48 BTUs per square foot on a minus 10 degree day,” Fritch said. “But with 3 inches of attic insulation the loss is cut to 7 BTUs per square foot. And with 12 inches of attic insulation, the loss is further reduced to 2.1 BTUs per square foot.” BTU, or British thermal unit, is the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of a pound of water one degree. Another winterizing chore is putting up storm windows. At minus 10 degrees, a window with a single pane of glass and no storm window loses 103 BTUs per square foot, according to Fritch. With a storm window the loss is cut almost in half. When winterizing your home, here are some others areas to consider: Roof and gutters • Check the roof for loose shingles and make sure the flashing around the chimney or vent pipe is watertight. Also check the chimney for cracks and consider installing a screen at the top of the chimney to keep leaves and critters out. • Each year the chimney also should be checked for creosote buildup. Such a buildup could be a source of fire. • Keep the fireplace damper closed unless a fire is going. Keeping the damper open is like keeping a 48-inch window wide open during the winter, according to information from the University of Illinois Extension. • Clean out gutters by removing leaves and other debris that prevent water from flowing freely to the drain pipe. Backed up water can cause roof damage and could even seep into the house. Consider installing gutter guards to help keep debris out of the gutters. Pipes and faucets • Pipes in unheated areas like crawl spaces may need to be protected with heat tape. • Drain and shut off water to outside faucets, if possible. There are faucet covers that fit over spigots to help protect the pipes from freezing. And the point where pipes enter exterior walls may require caulking. • Remove hoses from outside faucets, drain them and store them away for the winter. • Check the clothes dryer vent at the outside wall for a draft. “Perhaps the last thing you would do as you winterize the home is to change the batteries on your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector,” Fritch said. “If you have gas appliances and you don’t have a carbon monoxide detector, this is the time to get one.”