Helping Your Home Transition Seasonally

Brenda, these are all fantastic recommendations, and very thorough. I think that we should all try to do things like this, not just to save money but to save energy. I'm going to start doing some of these today.

cleaning gutters no fun but i found on my parents home if you get an experienced roofer or someone used to doing it abroom long handle is used and then a hose to flush it out makes it quicker and easier my husband did this recently and he did get wet but it was done alot faster with the right equipment

i learned very quickly how to save utility bills in the freezing winters in upstate new york where your temps can drop to 30 below and hold for days even weeks !! make sure your windows are clean and vacuum along the sills then use indoor outsoor clear plastic window covers purchased at any hardware store lowe s home depot outlet. if house is big close off upstairs rooms not being used make sure attic is insulated also and windows also covered and basement windows also make sure gaps on bottom of doors are sealed proeprly so warm air doesnt seep outside and repairs made at nite draw shades drapes also keeping heat in open during the day to let the sun in heating the interior also just little things such as these make a big difference. make sure your central heat has been serviced before the cold comes and any broken windows repaired screens off glass inserts put back on . woodstoves fireplaces cleaned and serviced also for safety(big priority)

I try to keep my heater and A/C serviced in hopes that the units will last longer and be as efficient as possible. My gutters tell me when they need cleaning when they start to sag. I hold off until all the leaves have fallen so I only have to have it done once. We don't have the big seasonal changes in Atlanta anymore, and with water damage the biggest threat to a home... well... maybe the water crisis has a silver lining.

I recently cleaned out my gutters, which was not a very fun experience, and made me realize why my mom was always cursing when she had to do it. Since I'm not planting any winter veggies, I'm going to try to do some mulching/composting that will hopefully give me great, rich soil come spring so I'll have more than one zucchini next year. I spend the winter freezing my a** off because I never turn on the heat, so I should probably do some insulation too...