As we can all tell by the weather, the autumn season is soon upon us. Kids are back in school and the leaves are ready to fall. It’s time to get in gear and your house and yard ready for the colder months. Here’s a checklist of a few things you can do now that will save you money and hassle come October and November.

Don’t pay to heat the outdoors. Install or update your weather stripping around windows and doors. You wouldn’t let a baseball sized hole in your front door go unnoticed would you? That’s about the equivalent to not having the proper weather stripping. It’s simple to install and saves on energy costs. Weather stripping comes in plastic, foam, felt or metal form. Keep the outdoors out this fall and winter season.

Check out your gutters. In our neck of the woods, gutters do overtime during the fall and winter. Make sure yours are ready for the rain. Keep them clear and free so you won’t have any clogs when you need them most. Clearing gutters in the dead of a rainstorm is no one’s idea of a good time.

Since you’ve got the ladder out…do an inspection on your roof and chimney. Look for missing shingles or damaged flashing and seals around vents or chimneys. Pay close attention to valleys and flashings. These are the most common places for leaks. Take a flashlight a peer down the chimney to make sure it hasn’t become a hibernating spot for animals. Raccoons especially love the warmth and protection of an open chimney.

Change out your furnace filters. Dirty furnace filters are a big waste of energy and are so simple to change yourself. Particle build up on filters can decrease the efficiency of your furnace and can even ruin your heating coil. People who suffer from allergies especially should change their filter this time of year to prevent pollen, bacteria, and mold spores from becoming airborne.

Clean your dryer vent. It’s another one of those monotonous chores that should be done about every six months. You would be surprised how much lint can accumulate in that amount of time. Pull the dryer away from the wall unplug it (or for gas dryers, turn off the gas supply to the dryer at the appliance shutoff valve) and vacuum behind it. Also unhook the tube that leads to the vent and clear as much lint from the tube as you can. Attack the lint from the outside with a shop vac as well. Keeping the dryer vent clean prevents possible fires from happening.

Keep out unwanted pests. Rodents go searching for places to hibernate this time of year. Keep them out of your nesting place by making sure all exterior vents are screened and any gaps in doors are closed. Don’t underestimate them. Mice can squeeze through openings as small as 1/4 – inch. So if you see an opening and think it’s too small for a critter to fit through, seal it anyway just in case.

Added on 09/09/2010

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