Is Your Home Ready for Winter?

By: Melanie Niemann Email

Updated: Fri 7:53 PM, Nov 19, 2010

November 19, 2010

As the leaves start to fall and the frigid months approach, it's time to start thinking about keeping your house in tip-top shape for the winter season. That means winterization.

"We are heading into the winter and cold weather season so it's really important to go ahead and weatherize around the house," said Alison Kaufman, of Dominion Virginia Power.

The Kruse family won the LEAP Home Energy Makeover Contest and will get up to $10,000 worth of energy improvements before the cold weather hits home.

"We were told by they energy auditor that we should expect to save 40 percent on our total energy bill," said Mike Kruse.

By changing their heating and cooling system and adding insulation to their home, the Kruse household could save around $800 a year. And for those of us who were not lucky enough to win a free home energy performance assessment, there are still several improvements that will make your home feel warmer without burning a hole in your wallet.

"The number one tip is to adjust your thermostat. In the winter Dominion Power recommends 68 degrees," said Kaufman.

Energy experts also recommend tightly sealing windows, doors and outlet gaskets.

"A lot of people don't realize there may be a draft coming through there. Simple low-cost weather stripping could end saving you a bunch of money on your bill," Kaufman explained.

Plus, LEAP's free online home energy report will available to the public in a matter of weeks to help you save on your energy bill this winter.

Extended Rain Floods Rural Roads, Basements

The comments sections of Newsplex.com are designed for thoughtful, intelligent conversation and debate. We want to hear from our viewers, but we only ask that you use your best judgment. E-mail is required, but will not be displayed with comment.

Comments cannot be profane or vulgar. We will not post comments that use profanity or cross the lines of good taste.

We will not post comments that use hate speech. Slurs, stereotypes and violent talk aren’t welcome on our website.

Comments should not attack other readers or people featured in our stories personally. Any accusations should be backed up with facts.

Any comment we post will be posted in its entirety. We do not edit any comment that we post.

Comments should contribute to the discussion. We will not post comments that don't advance the discussion. Flaming and/or trolling will not be tolerated.

Comments should not attack other posters. Let's keep the focus on the content of the story.

As a host Newsplex.com welcomes a wide spectrum of opinions. However this is a site that we host. We have a responsibility to all our readers to try to keep our comment section fair and decent. For that reason The Newsplex reserves the right to not post or to remove any comment.

If you have any ideas to improve the conversation or this section let us know. Send an e-mail to webmaster@newsplex.com.