4 Ways To Prepare Your House For Winter

The first day of winter is Dec. 22nd — but here in the DC metro area, we often get a taste of winter weather even before then. And early-winter snow is the perfect reminder to prepare ourselves for the next few months. 

But while you’re digging through your car to find your ice scraper, making sure your snow shovels are easily accessible, and buying a fresh bag of salt for the driveway, make sure you’re taking the necessary steps to prepare your house against the coming weather. 

We’ve put together a few important electric-related tips for getting your house ready for winter: 

Install a heat tray

A heat tray is also known as “heating cables,” which are installed inside gutters and downspouts. When these heating cables are plugged in, they create a warmer surface on your gutters and downspouts that allow you to keep heat inside, ensuring that melted snow and ice from your roof drain down your downspout instead of refreezing back into ice and accumulating inside your gutters. Ice build-up in your gutters creates a tremendous waste of energy in your home, which causes your bill over the winter to skyrocket even more than usual. That build-up can also cause potential water backups at the house’s foundation, which could create extensive (and expensive) damage. 

Purchase a backup generator

With winter comes the increased risk of power outages. Snow build-up on power lines, as well as ice storms that weigh down trees and bring branches down onto the power lines, all can create electricity outages. Are you prepared for that possibility? 

If you don’t have a backup generator, you run the risk of going hours, or even days, without power if a particularly powerful storm system comes through. 

Unplug unused electronics

Frigid temperatures automatically mean higher energy costs. A good rule of thumb is to keep yourself from cranking up the thermostat to super high temperatures. But if you want to keep a warm house, there are other ways you can save money on your electric bill. Make sure you’re unplugging electronics (like iPad chargers, TVs that aren’t being used, or Scentsy dispensers) that you aren’t regularly using. You’d be surprised at how much these costs add up over the course of a long winter. 

Invest in a smart thermostat

When it comes to winterizing your house, one option could be investing in a smart thermostat, which tracks how much energy is being used and where. This way, you can keep track of exactly where your energy costs are coming from. That’s the first step in saving costs over the long winter months. 

At Sansbury, we actually install these smart thermostats, so be sure to give us a call if you’d like to get one set up!