Preparing your home for winter weather is a smart move if you want to keep heating costs down. Fortunately, that winter preparation doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. Here are a few low-cost suggestions to get your home ready to keep you and your budget cozy when it's cold outside:
- Check the exterior of your home, including your doors and windows. Look for cracks and openings around pipes, and seal them up. Caulk your windows and weatherstrip your doors. Install storm windows if you have them.
- Inspect and clean your roof and gutters. Replace worn roof shingles and clean leaves and debris from your gutters.
- Reverse your ceiling fan. To cool your home, your ceiling fan blades will be circulating counter-clockwise. Reverse them to circulate clockwise, which will move heat downward in the room.
- Schedule routine maintenance on your furnace. Have the filter changed, clean air ducts, and check the fan belt.
- Turn down your thermostat. Or, get a programmable one so the adjusting is done for you. You'll save a couple of percentage points on your heating bill for each degree you lower your thermostat.
- Don't forget about old-fashioned insulation. Insulation is still a great way to save money by saving energy.
Ultimately, we can all do simple things to stay warm and keep costs down. Start off by saving with our Popular Direct CD or Savings account.1 Enjoy a cozy winter!
1. Popular Bank is a Member FDIC institution and operates under the assumed name "Popular Bank" in the markets in which it operates. Accordingly, Popular Bank and Popular Bank are the same FDIC-insured institution. Your deposits are insured up to $250,000 per depositor. You may qualify for more than $250,000 in coverage if you hold deposits in different account ownership categories. For more information, please refer to: www.fdic.gov.