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It’s that time of the year again! The holidays are closing in, and the weather’s turning chilly by the hour. What should you do? Enjoy the season by adding 5 home installations that will benefit your family this winter!
Buff Up Your Insulation
It’s time to work harder in keeping your home warm. Start doing this by adding insulation to the basement and the attic. Doing so will help you mitigate any cold spots and develop an even temperature throughout the house. You can have a professional do this as that is ideal, but nothing should stop you from doing it yourself.
- Increased savings from cost
- Decrease energy consumption
- Prevent damage from moisture
- Improves indoor air quality
- Helps your HVAC function normally
Prepare the Radiators
Winterizing your radiators mitigates any inefficient air gaps that keep them from working optimally. This results in a warmer house at less cost. You can call a professional to do this, or simply place an aluminum foil on the wall behind your radiator. This will allow heat to reflect outward into the room.
- Save money
- Warmer rooms
- No additional energy consumption for this one
- Easy to do
You can get more winterization ideas with this guide.
Install A New Furnace
How old is your furnace? The average lifespan of a furnace is between 15 to 20 years, depending on its quality as well as how it’s been maintained. Moisture levels and professional installation also play a big key. So think about it, how old is your furnace? Is it functioning well, or have you been having problems with it lately? Here are a few things to consider:
- Age of the furnace
- Increase in electricity bills
- Humidity issues
- Uneven heat across the house
- Unusual noises from the furnace
- Visible signs of rust and cracks
- Increased frequency of repairs
If you are experiencing more than half of the list above, chances are, you need a new furnace. For example, furnace installation in Ottawa can easily be done by a professional because they know how to do it efficiently, ensuring even heating in the house and good air quality overall. Here are a few benefits of getting a new furnace:
- Boosted efficiency
- Upgrade in comfort
- Better safety
- Fewer breakdowns
- More robust heating
Winter Siding Installations
This might not be the first thing on your mind, as you might want to wait for spring. But as it turns out, there are many benefits to replacing your sidings during the winter. One of those benefits is to prevent any damages from the summer to break down during the coldest months of the year. The same goes for your roof. There are a few telltale signs to look for though that can be spotted, indicating a need for siding replacement.
- The siding is warped or rotted
- There is dry rot
- The siding is cracked, broken, or loose
- There is bubbling
- The siding is severely faded
- Presence of holes
- You notice paint peeling or loose wallpaper in your home
- You paint the sidings more frequently
- Increased electricity bills
Install an Electric Heater
This might not exactly be the first thing in your mind, either. But hear this out. There are a variety of heating installations out there. However, electric ones are generally more environment-friendly because they require no burning of any materials whatsoever. Here are a few reasons why you should install an electric heater in your house:
- Safety
- Better indoor air quality
- Simpler installation
- Convenient
- Lower operating costs
- Environment-friendly
Conclusion
If you have more than half of the concerns above, it’s a good sign that you need to replace your sidings. You can do this regardless of season, including the Winter. Surprisingly, doing so during this season may actually provide a few advantages:
- Contractors have fewer bookings for winter. Take this chance and have your new sidings installed at your own convenience;
- Lesser cost because there’s lesser demand. Meaning rates for siding installation or repair service is also lower. If you want to get a good deal for your buck, winter is the time.
- Better heat retention since the sidings are able to trap the warm air inside the house. This results in a lower utility bill because you would no longer need to use other heating appliances, as well as your ensuring your HVAC won’t have to work harder to regulate the temperature;
- Better for the yard – your plants won’t even notice the crew arriving.
