The following post is contributed by Brent Chambers, Sales Associate based out of our Fonville Morisey Chapel Hill office. Thanks, Brent!
Ayr Mount, a historical Federal-style plantation in Hillsborough NC
As a Chapel Hill area REALTOR®, I know to expect out of town clients searching for a new home to ask, “What are the winters like in North Carolina?” I have a ready answer – prepare for anything between 70° shirt sleeve weather and blizzards dumping 12+” of snow. Expect freezing rain, icy roads, slippery sidewalks, and power outages too. Winters in North Carolina are, for the most part, fairly mild…in a good season. As we’ve noticed in recent years, they can also be unpredictable. Remember the 8 inches of snow we had on Christmas 2010?!
Regardless of climate change, el niño or la niña, if you live in Chapel Hill (or anywhere here in the Triangle) winter is a time to prepare your home to ensure you stay warm, and save some money in the process. Here are our Top 10 Do-It-Yourself Home Winterizing Tips:
- Close off the source of drafts – unsealed windows, doors that don’t close tight are your enemy. The Department of Energy cites drafts for wasting 5% to 30% of our energy costs. Window insulation kits are very effective for older homes, and don’t forget about making “draft snakes” to place under your doors. Make them out of scrap cloth and fill them with sand or cat litter to help seal the gaps.
- Make sure your furnace filters are clean and free flowing. Check them once a month and replace them when dirty.
- Do you have ceiling fans? If so, reverse the direction so they pull air up, and they will help to keep the warm air off the ceiling. Let them run on low, especially in the evenings.
- Check your thermostats to make sure the system is turned down when you are not at home. Gas fired furnaces (oil, natural gas, liquid propane) heat up quickly after they have been turned down, so you can save by lowering the settings at night or while away. Heat pumps perform best when you leave them set at a constant setting, so find your lowest “comfort zone” and leave it set there.
- Sweaters and throw blankets can keep you warm even when the thermostat is turned down.
- Want a warm bed to climb into? Instead of an electric blanket, use a hot water bottle, or just a short blast from your hair dryer to make your bed toasty warm.
- Have a pull-down attic ladder? Make sure you have insulation to seal off that opening. Hardware stores sell insulated shells to cover the door frame, but you can make a cover of your own with old quilts or blankets.
- Make sure your HVAC air ducts are properly installed and are not torn. Making sure they are connected and sealed will save you money.
- Pay less for hot water by insulating pipes. That can also help decrease the chance of pipes freezing, which can be disastrous. You can get pre-slit pipe foam at most hardware stores. Cut it to size and fasten in place with duct tape.
- Take advantage of tax credits! A host of lucrative tax credits can help homeowners install renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Various local, state and federal incentives exist to encourage the use of efficient windows, doors, insulation and HVAC systems including solar power, geothermal heating and cooling, biomass stoves, small wind turbines and even fuel cells.
What are winters like in North Carolina? Be prepared and you’ll stay warm!
Do you have other ideas not covered here? We’d love to here them. Perhaps you’ll inspire another blog post!
