Licensed Realtor with 10+ years in personal finance content
Contributor to Nasdaq and USA Today
Daria is a licensed Realtor and resort property manager specializing in personal finance, real estate, and insurance topics. In her spare time, she practices photography.
3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
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Cold weather can make your home difficult and costly to heat and cause damage to your home’s structure and systems. Low temperatures can burst pipes, for example.[1] Built-up ice on your roof can push water under shingles and into ceilings, walls, and rooms below.[2]
Winterizing your home prevents many of these weather-related problems. This process includes steps like covering outdoor spigots and keeping gutters clear to protect against damage and keep your home comfortable no matter how cold and damp it is outside.
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11 ways to winterize your home
Most people in the U.S. can benefit from winterizing their homes. As Texans learned during the 2021 Texas power crisis, even people living in warm climates are at risk of harsh weather and winter storms.
Homes in colder climates — especially properties that are vacant and unheated during the winter season — need the most preparation.
Winterization tasks range from basic home maintenance projects to reviewing your homeowners insurance policy. Many winterization methods are free or low-cost, but even tasks that require more financial investment up front can save you money by preventing damage to your home.
Use the following tips as a guide for winterizing your own home.
Insulate your home
Insulation prevents heat loss from warm air moving to cooler areas of your home — and keeps cold air outside. This allows your HVAC system to work more efficiently and at less cost.[3]
Areas of your home that need insulation include:
Attics
Basements and crawl spaces
Doors
Exterior walls and floors, including those that adjoin unheated space
Water heater
Windows
Heat flows through glass and gaps around windows and doors. You can keep heat from escaping by installing weather stripping in gaps and special insulating film over window and door glass.
Good to Know
To make your electric hot water heater more efficient, consider wrapping it with an insulating blanket or “jacket” if your local building code and energy company allow it. Insulating sleeves protect pipes in exterior walls, but you might need a professional plumber to access them.[4]
Clean your gutters
Gutters collect water washing down your roof and direct it away from your home through downspouts. But gutters are less effective when clogged by leaves or other debris. When snow falls onto the roof, snow melt fills the clogged gutter during the day and refreezes when temperatures drop overnight.
The ice that accumulates eventually can form “ice dams” that work their way under your shingles. When the ice melts, water drains into your ceilings and walls
Cleaning your gutters helps ensure that snowmelt drains properly. Gutter guards keep gutters free of debris.
Inspect your roof and attic
Roof damage can result in significant water damage from leaks. FEMA recommends looking for missing and deteriorated shingles, damaged flashing, and clogged valleys where the roof slopes meet and allow water to drain.[5]
Inspect your attic for stains and other signs of water leaks. Also confirm that the attic has adequate ventilation, which helps to prevent mold and mildew.
Weather stripping adheres inside door and window frames to fill any gaps that allow heat to escape. Once installed, you shouldn’t see daylight or feel air flowing from around the doors and windows.
You can also seal leaks with caulk. Using a caulking gun, run a bead of caulk around window and door frames and along floor moldings.
Check your fireplace and chimney
Closing your fireplace damper when the fireplace isn’t in use keeps heat from escaping up the flue, but it won’t work properly if the seals are loose. Check the seals before freezing temperatures set in. You should also consider having a professional inspect and clean your chimney. Creosote buildup from previous years reduces the chimney’s efficiency and can catch fire.[6]
Service your HVAC system
Routine maintenance of your heating system is the best way to prevent an outage the first time you crank up the heat when the weather turns cold. Turn your thermostat up to make sure your furnace or heat pump responds quickly to test it. You should also replace air filters.
If you have an oil or propane furnace, fill the tank early in case of an unexpected cold snap.
Protect your pipes
You can prevent frozen pipes by wrapping insulation or heat tape around those exposed to unheated spaces or the outdoors. In addition, turn off and drain outdoor faucets and spigots.
Keeping your home warm also protects pipes. The Red Cross recommends maintaining consistent temperatures day and night and setting the thermostat to at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit if you’re leaving your home vacant for some period of time.[7]
Cover and prepare any patio or outdoor furniture
Decks and patios are vulnerable to damage from snow and ice. Clear any debris and fill and seal cracked cement, concrete, and stone. Apply a sealant to wood that’s overdue for waterproofing. If your deck needs repair, you should do it before winter begins.
Store your outdoor furniture indoors if possible. Otherwise, cover it with fitted covers to protect it from the elements.
Purchase an alternative heat source
Alternative heat — such as from a generator, portable kerosene heater, or wood stove — can keep you warm and protect your house’s pipes if you have a power outage or the heat goes out. Always keep alternative heat a safe distance from furnishings, and make sure heaters that use combustible fuel have adequate ventilation. You’ll also need to make sure your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors work.
Good to Know
When powering electric heat with a generator, keep it at least 20 feet from your home and away from doors, windows, and vents.
Program your thermostat
Turning your thermostat down 7–10 degrees for eight hours per day can reduce your energy costs by up to 10%, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.[8]
Set your thermostat to 68 F to 70 F during the day, and program it for a low temperature at night and when you’re away from home.
Review your home insurance coverage
It’s a good idea to review your homeowners insurance coverage before winter weather hits. If you’ve made home improvements while winterizing, you might qualify for a discount on your home insurance premium. Or perhaps it’s a good idea for you to add optional coverages for damaged-roof replacement, damaged service-line backups, or home system failures.
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Winterizing your home FAQs
If you’ve never winterized your home before, the process can seem overwhelming. Learning as much as you can before you start can make things easier.
Can you winterize a house yourself?
You can do most winterization tasks yourself. But you may need to hire local home service professionals for tasks like chimney inspection and cleaning, HVAC inspection, and roof damage repair.
How do you close up a house for the winter?
In addition to turning off the water supply and draining water lines to prevent freezing, unplug appliances and electronics. Set the thermostat to at least 55 F.
How do you winterize a house so pipes don’t freeze?
Insulating exterior walls, your attic, floors above unheated spaces, and pipes exposed to the outside will help prevent freezing.
At what temperature should you winterize your house?
If you plan to leave your house vacant for any period, set your thermostat to at least 55 F. Otherwise, keep it at 68 F to 70 F during the day and 7–10 degrees lower at night.
Sources
Portland.gov. "What to do if water pipes freeze, leak, or burst as temperatures rise."
Daria Uhlig is a freelance writer and editor with over a decade of experience creating personal finance content. Her work appears on USA Today, Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, Fox Business, GOBankingRates and AOL. As a licensed Realtor and resort property manager, she specializes in real estate topics, including landlord, homeowners and renters insurance. In her spare time, Daria can be found photographing people and places on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Daria has been a contributor at Insurify since October 2022.
Edited byKatie PowersAuto and Life Insurance Editor
Katie PowersAuto and Life Insurance Editor
Licensed auto and home insurance agent
3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
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