Winter arrives quickly in Colorado. One day you’re enjoying mild fall weather. The next day, temperatures plummet and snow blankets your yard. Homes that aren’t ready for winter face uncomfortable cold spots, skyrocketing energy bills, and potential system failures at the worst possible times. Home for Winter
The good news is that preparing your home doesn’t require weeks of work. A few focused tasks completed before the first freeze can make all the difference. From sealing drafts to checking your heating system, these steps protect your comfort and your wallet throughout the cold months ahead.
Whether you’re maintaining your current system or considering furnace installation Littleton CO homeowners can benefit from this complete winter preparation checklist.
Let’s walk through everything you need to do before winter settles in.
Start with Your Heating System
Your furnace is the heart of your home’s winter comfort. It needs attention before you ask it to work hard for months on end.
Schedule Professional Maintenance
Call an HVAC technician for a pre-winter tune-up. They’ll clean the burners, check electrical connections, and test safety controls. This service catches small problems before they become expensive emergencies. Most companies offer fall specials on maintenance visits.
During the inspection, ask about your furnace’s age and condition. Furnaces typically last 15 to 20 years. If yours is approaching that range and requiring frequent repairs, replacement might make financial sense. Modern furnaces are significantly more efficient than older models. The energy savings can offset installation costs over time.
Replace Your Furnace Filter
A clean filter improves airflow and efficiency. Check your filter monthly during winter. Replace it when it looks dirty or clogged. Most standard filters need changing every one to three months. If you have pets or allergies, change filters more frequently.
Mark filter changes on your calendar. Set phone reminders if that helps. This simple task prevents many common furnace problems.
Test Your Thermostat
Turn on your heat before you actually need it. Make sure the thermostat responds correctly. Check that warm air flows from all vents. Listen for unusual noises from the furnace.
Consider upgrading to a programmable or smart thermostat. These devices automatically adjust temperatures based on your schedule. You save money by reducing heat when you’re asleep or away. Many models pay for themselves within a year through energy savings.
Seal Air Leaks and Drafts
Air leaks waste enormous amounts of heated air. Finding and sealing them is one of the most cost-effective winter preparations you can make.
Check Windows and Doors
Walk around your home on a windy day. Hold your hand near window frames and door edges. Feel for moving air. You can also use a lit incense stick. Watch the smoke. If it blows sideways, you’ve found a leak.
Apply weatherstripping to doors and windows. This foam or rubber material creates a tight seal when doors and windows close. It’s inexpensive and easy to install yourself. Replace worn weatherstripping from previous years.
Add door sweeps to exterior doors. These attach to the bottom of the door and block gaps between the door and threshold. They stop cold drafts and save energy.
Inspect Your Home’s Envelope
Look for gaps where utilities enter your home. Check where pipes, cables, and wires penetrate walls. Use expanding foam or caulk to seal these openings. Even small gaps let in surprising amounts of cold air.
Examine the areas where your foundation meets your walls. Look for cracks or gaps in the siding. These spots often develop leaks. Seal them with appropriate caulk or foam.
Don’t forget the attic. Check where the attic access door or hatch closes. Add weatherstripping if needed. This prevents warm air from escaping into your attic.
Use Plastic Window Insulation Kits
For particularly drafty windows, consider plastic film insulation kits. These clear plastic sheets attach to window frames with double-sided tape. You heat them with a hair dryer to shrink them tight. They create an insulating air pocket between the plastic and the glass.
These kits are temporary but highly effective. They’re perfect for windows you won’t need to open during winter. They’re also much cheaper than replacing old windows.
Boost Your Insulation
Proper insulation keeps heat inside where it belongs. Many homes, especially older ones, lack adequate insulation.
Attic Insulation is Critical
Heat rises, so your attic is the most important place for insulation. Most experts recommend at least 10 to 14 inches of insulation in attics. If you can see the tops of your ceiling joists, you need more insulation.
Adding attic insulation is often a DIY project. Rolled fiberglass or blown-in cellulose both work well. Wear protective gear including a mask, gloves, and long sleeves. If your attic has complicated ductwork or wiring, hire a professional.
Don’t Neglect Other Areas
Check insulation in your basement or crawl space. Cold floors over uninsulated crawl spaces waste energy. Insulating pipes in these areas also prevents freezing.
Wall insulation typically requires professional installation. However, you can add it during renovations or repairs. If you’re opening walls for any reason, consider adding or improving insulation.
Insulate Your Water Heater
Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket. This inexpensive product reduces heat loss from the tank. Your water heater won’t work as hard to maintain temperature. This saves energy year-round but helps especially in winter when basement temperatures drop.
Also insulate the first few feet of hot water pipes leaving your water heater. This keeps water hotter as it travels to faucets and reduces waiting time for hot water.
Protect Your Plumbing
Frozen pipes can burst and cause thousands of dollars in water damage. Prevention is simple and crucial.
Insulate Exposed Pipes
Wrap exposed pipes in unheated areas with foam pipe insulation. Focus on pipes in crawl spaces, attics, and garages. Pay special attention to pipes on exterior walls.
Pipe insulation is inexpensive and easy to install. Most types simply split open and snap around the pipe. Secure them with tape at the seams.
Disconnect Outdoor Hoses
Remove and drain all garden hoses before the first freeze. Water left in hoses can freeze back into your pipes and cause damage. Store hoses in your garage or shed.
Shut off water to outdoor faucets using interior shut-off valves. Open the outdoor faucets to drain remaining water. Leave them open through winter. This prevents freezing inside the faucet body.
Know Where Your Main Shut-Off Is
Locate your home’s main water shut-off valve. Make sure everyone in your household knows where it is and how to use it. If a pipe does burst, shutting off the water immediately minimizes damage.
Reverse Your Ceiling Fans
This simple trick helps distribute heat more evenly. Most ceiling fans have a switch that reverses blade direction. In winter, run fans clockwise at low speed. This pushes warm air down from the ceiling without creating a cooling breeze.
Heat naturally rises to your ceiling. The fan gently circulates it back down where you can feel it. This allows you to feel comfortable at slightly lower thermostat settings.
Check Your Fireplace and Chimney
If you have a fireplace, make sure it’s ready for safe use.
Schedule a Chimney Inspection
Have your chimney inspected and cleaned annually. Creosote builds up from burning wood. This flammable substance can cause chimney fires. Professional chimney sweeps remove creosote and check for damage or blockages.
Close the Damper When Not in Use
An open chimney damper is like an open window. Close it whenever you’re not using your fireplace. This prevents heated air from escaping up the chimney.
Consider a chimney balloon or damper sealer if your damper doesn’t close tightly. These inflatable devices block the flue when the fireplace isn’t in use. Remember to remove them before lighting a fire.
Prepare for Power Outages
Winter storms can knock out power. A little preparation keeps your family safe and comfortable during outages.
Stock Emergency Supplies
Keep flashlights, batteries, and candles accessible. Store several gallons of drinking water. Have non-perishable food that doesn’t require cooking. Keep a battery-powered or hand-crank radio for weather updates.
Protect Your Pipes During Outages
If power goes out, open cabinet doors under sinks. This lets warmer room air reach pipes. Let faucets drip slightly in extreme cold. Moving water is less likely to freeze than standing water.
Know how to safely use alternative heat sources if needed. Never use a gas stove or oven for heating. Never burn charcoal indoors. Both produce deadly carbon monoxide.
Adjust Your Thermostat Settings
Set your thermostat to 68°F when you’re home and awake. Lower it to 60-65°F when you’re asleep or away. These settings balance comfort with efficiency.
Avoid large temperature swings. Your furnace works hardest to recover from big setbacks. Moderate adjustments save more energy than extreme ones.
If you travel during winter, keep your thermostat at least at 55°F. This prevents pipes from freezing while minimizing energy use.
Consider a Heating System Upgrade
If your furnace is old, inefficient, or unreliable, winter preparation might include replacement. Modern high-efficiency furnaces use 30% to 50% less energy than older models.
New furnaces also offer better features. Variable-speed blowers improve comfort and reduce noise. Two-stage burners adjust heat output to match your needs. Better temperature control means fewer drafts and cold spots.
Replacing your furnace before winter starts gives you the best selection and pricing. You can schedule installation at your convenience instead of during an emergency. You’ll enter winter confident in your heating system’s reliability.
Final Thoughts
Winter preparation doesn’t happen overnight, but it doesn’t require weeks of work either. Start with the most important tasks: heating system maintenance, sealing air leaks, and protecting pipes. Then tackle insulation and other improvements as time allows.
Every step you take now pays dividends throughout winter. You’ll stay warmer, spend less on energy, and avoid stressful emergency repairs. Your home will be a comfortable refuge from Colorado’s coldest days.
Don’t wait until the first snowfall to start preparing. Begin now while the weather is still mild and you have time to address what you find. Your future self will thank you when winter arrives in full force.
