You'll get a season's worth of savings and peace of mind by taking a few steps in the fall to get your home ready for cold weather.

So you've pulled your sweaters out of mothballs and found your mittens at the bottom of the coat closet. But what about your house -- is it prepared for the cold months ahead?

You'll be a lot less comfortable in the coming months if you haven't girded Home Sweet Home for Old Man Winter.

With the help of several experts, we've boiled down your autumn to-do list to 10 easy tips:

1. Clean Those Gutters  
Once the leaves fall, remove them and other debris from your home's gutters -- by hand, by scraper or spatula, and finally by a good hose rinse -- so that winter's rain and melting snow can drain. Clogged drains can form ice dams, in which water backs up, freezes and causes water to seep into the house, the Insurance Information Institute says. 
As you're hosing out your gutters, look for leaks and misaligned pipes. Also, make sure the downspouts are carrying water away from the house's foundation, where it could cause flooding or other water damage.

"The rule of thumb is that water should be at least 10 feet away from the house," says Michael Broili, the director of the Well Home Program for the Phinney Neighborhood Association, a nationally recognized neighborhood group in Seattle.

2. Block Those Leaks
One of the best ways to winterize your home is to simply block obvious leaks around your house, both inside and out, experts say. The average American home has leaks that amount to a nine-square-foot hole in the wall, according to EarthWorks Group.

First, find the leaks: On a breezy day, walk around inside holding a lit incense stick to the most common drafty areas: recessed lighting, window and door frames, electrical outlets.

Then, buy door sweeps to close spaces under exterior doors, and caulk or apply tacky rope caulk to those drafty spots, says Danny Lipford, host of the nationally syndicated TV show "Today's Homeowner." Outlet gaskets can easily be installed in electrical outlets that share a home's outer walls, where cold air often enters.

Outside, seal leaks with weather-resistant caulk. For brick areas, use masonry sealer, which will better stand up to freezing and thawing. "Even if it's a small crack, it's worth sealing up," Lipford says. "It also discourages any insects from entering your home."

3. Insulate Yourself 
"Another thing that does cost a little money -- but boy, you do get the money back quick -- is adding insulation to the existing insulation in the attic," says Lipford. "Regardless of the climate conditions you live in, in the (U.S.) you need a minimum of 12 inches of insulation in your attic."

Don't clutter your brain with R-values or measuring tape, though. Here's Lipford's rule of thumb on whether you need to add insulation: "If you go into the attic and you can see the ceiling joists you know you don't have enough, because a ceiling joist is at most 10 or 11 inches."

A related tip: If you're layering insulation atop other insulation, don't use the kind that has "kraft face" finish (i.e., a paper backing). It acts as a vapor barrier, Lipford explains, and therefore can cause moisture problems in the insulation.

4. Check The Furnace
First, turn your furnace on now, to make sure it's even working, before the coldest weather descends. A strong, odd, short-lasting smell is natural when firing up the furnace in the autumn; simply open windows to dissipate it. But if the smell lasts a long time, shut down the furnace and call a professional.

It's a good idea to have furnaces cleaned and tuned annually. Costs will often run about $100-$125. An inspector should do the following, among other things: 

Throughout the winter you should change the furnace filters regularly (check them monthly). A dirty filter impedes air flow, reduces efficiency and could even cause a fire in an extreme case. Toss out the dirty fiberglass filters; reusable electrostatic or electronic filters can be washed.

5. Get Your Ducts In A Row 
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a home with central heating can lose up to 60% of its heated air before that air reaches the vents if ductwork is not well-connected and insulated, or if it must travel through unheated spaces. That's a huge amount of wasted money, not to mention a chilly house. (Check out this audit tool for other ideas on how to save on your energy bills this winter.)

Of course, windows are pricey. Budget to replace them a few at a time, and in the meantime, buy a window insulator kit, Lipford and Broili recommend. Basically, the kit is plastic sheeting that's affixed to a window’s interior with double-stick tape. A hair dryer is then used to shrink-wrap the sheeting onto the window. (It can be removed in the spring.) "It's temporary and it's not pretty, but it's inexpensive (about $4 a window) and it's extremely effective," says Lipford.

7. Don't Forget The Chimney 
Ideally, spring is the time to think about your chimney, because "chimney sweeps are going crazy right now, as you might have guessed," says Ashley Eldridge, director of education for the Chimney Safety Institute of America.

That said, don't put off your chimney needs before using your fireplace, Eldridge advises. "A common myth is that a chimney needs to be swept every year," says Eldridge. Not true. But a chimney should at least be inspected before use each year, he adds. "I've seen tennis balls and ducks in chimneys," he says.

Ask for a Level 1 inspection, in which the professional examines the readily accessible portions of the chimney, Eldridge says. "Most certified chimney sweeps include a Level 1 service with a sweep," he adds.

Woodstoves are a different beast, however, cautions Eldridge. They should be swept more than once a year. A general rule of thumb is that a cleaning should be performed for every ¼ inch of creosote, "anywhere that it's found." Why? "If it's ash, then it's primarily lye -- the same stuff that was once used to make soap, and it's very acidic." It can cause mortar and the metal damper to rot, Eldridge says.

Another tip: Buy a protective cap for your chimney, with a screen, advises Eldridge. "It's probably the single easiest protection" because it keeps out foreign objects (birds, tennis balls) as well as rain that can mix with the ash and eat away at the fireplace's walls. He advises buying based on durability, not appearance.

One other reminder: To keep out cold air, fireplace owners should keep their chimney's damper closed when the fireplace isn't in use. And for the same reason, woodstove owners should have glass doors on their stoves, and keep them closed when the stove isn't in use.

Check out CSIA'S Web site for a list of certified chimney sweeps in your area.

8. Reverse That Fan
"Reversing your ceiling fan is a small tip that people don't often think of," says Lipford. By reversing its direction from the summer operation, the fan will push warm air downward and force it to recirculate, keeping you more comfortable. (Here's how you know the fan is ready for winter: As you look up, the blades should be turning clockwise, says Lipford.)

9. Wrap Those Pipes 
A burst pipe caused by a winter freeze is a nightmare. Prevent it before Jack Frost sets his grip: Before freezing nights hit, make certain that the water to your hose bibs is shut off inside your house (via a turnoff valve), and that the lines are drained, says Broili. In climes such as Portland, Ore., or Seattle, where freezing nights aren't commonplace, you can install Styrofoam cups with a screw attachment to help insulate spigots, says Broili. 

Next, go looking for other pipes that aren't insulated, or that pass through unheated spaces -- pipes that run through crawlspaces, basements or garages. Wrap them with pre-molded foam rubber sleeves or fiberglass insulation, available at hardware stores. If you're really worried about a pipe freezing, you can first wrap it with heating tape, which is basically an electrical cord that emits heat.

10. Finally, Check Those Alarms
This is a great time to check the operation -- and change the batteries -- on your home's smoke detectors. Detectors should be replaced every 10 years, fire officials say. Test them -- older ones in particular -- with a small bit of actual smoke, and not just by pressing the "test" button. Check to see that your fire extinguisher is still where it should be, and still works.

Also, invest in a carbon-monoxide detector; every home should have at least one.

By Christopher Solomon of MSN Real Estate

realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=13107899

Question: Why is it necessary to rake leaves off the lawn? 

 We spend a lot of time in fall raking leaves (or, if not actually raking leaves, then using leaf blowers, etc. for leaf removal). Is there a sound reason behind raking leaves pertaining to lawn health, or is it simply an aesthetic choice?

To get with the program — the deconstruction and recycling program — remodelers must think ahead.

Well ahead of construction, for instance, identify which cabinets, appliances, fixtures, and floorboards might be of value and to whom. Schedule accordingly: Deconstruction takes longer than demolition, and donation groups are often booked weeks out.

Think ahead also in terms of operations and marketing. Years before your competitors embrace “diversion” as a routine best practice, embrace it as yours.

“This is the way the industry is going,” says Lorenz Schilling, president of the Deconstruction & ReUse Network, a California nonprofit. By collaborating with material-reuse groups now, he says, you’ll be “dialed-in” to a practice that homeowners will find increasingly attractive as environmental awareness grows.

“Good contractors look out for the interests of the client in terms of saving resources,” natural and financial alike, Schilling says. Depending on the salvaged items’ appraised value, homeowners may reduce their tax liability enough to more than offset the typical cost differential between simple demolition (labor, Dumpster costs, tipping fees) and piece-by-piece disassembly.

Brick by Brick

Depending on the scope of the project and the condition of the materials, deconstruction can recover 50% to 90% of the materials from an existing structure, according to the Building Materials Reuse Association.

The challenges are overstated, advocates say. “Once you get in the habit of sorting debris and have established consistent channels to direct recyclable products, it isn’t very difficult,” says green building consultant Carl Seville. He once found new uses for almost all of a house that he had deconstructed, including 15,000 bricks that were reinstalled on a home nearby. “Total amount of waste to landfill was about six small dump-truck loads, versus 20 to 25 large Dumpsters,” he says.

Variables to Consider

• What’s of value? Cabinets and doors (especially solid-core) are almost always in demand, Schilling says, typically followed by windows, lighting and plumbing fixtures, appliances, and materials such as old-growth lumber.
• Worth the expense? Schilling’s website has a cost breakdown showing how deconstruction/donations can yield a net financial gain. Labor will likely be more, but dumping costs (higher in densely built areas) will go down. Some areas also charge lower fees for sorted debris than for mixed debris.
• Who can do it? Your field crews can learn basic deconstruction from various organizations; for a national training directory, as well as companies that specialize in decon, visit BMRA.org.
• Who can take it? Some remodelers sell materials through sites like Craigslist or salvage yards. Schilling’s group likes to work with nonprofit organizations that develop affordable housing. Most metro areas have operations similar to Habitat for Humanity ReStore outlets (www.habitat-mc.org/restore/index.html), which typically provide pickup services — given advance notice, that is.

—Leah Thayer, senior editor, REMODELING.

www.remodeling.hw.net/deconstruction/thinking-outside-the-dumpster.aspx

Getting a handle on your home's energy use is an important first step to improving efficiency. You can do a simple assessment yourself using our on-line tools, or have a professional energy auditor perform a more thorough audit. Then, use ENERGY STAR resources to get guidance on home improvement projects to enhance energy efficiency, lower utility bills, and increase comfort.

Start with our Home Energy Yardstick

If you have five minutes and your last 12 months of utility bills, use the Home Energy Yardstick to compare your home's energy use to similar homes across the country and see how your home measures up. Then, use the Home Energy Advisor (www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=home_energy_advisor.showGetInput) to get recommendations for energy-saving home improvements for typical homes in your area.

What's Your Score – What You Need to Know to get Started

• Your energy use and costs for the last year: You'll need your last 12 months of utility bills OR a 12-month summary statement from your utility company.
• Energy sources for your home: natural gas, electricity, fuel oil, propane, coal, wood and/or kerosene?
• The square footage of your home.

To determine your score go to: https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=HOME_ENERGY_YARDSTICK.showGetStarted

https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=HOME_ENERGY_YARDSTICK.showGetStarted