Winter is upon us in Massachusetts, and if you are a homeowner, you may already be feeling the heat. I'm not talking about the heat outside, but the heat from your furnace and the heat on your wallet from your increasing energy bills.
In this article, I'll share some tips for Massachusetts homeowners that will help keep energy costs lower, protect your family, and protect the value of your Massachusetts home.
Massachusetts Home Heating Systems
I’ve rarely been at an inspection where the homeowner kept their heating systems up to date. Carbon heating systems like oil and natural gas are supposed to be serviced annually, and the tech servicing is supposed to put a new tag on the equipment affirming that they serviced the equipment.
Yes, this costs some money to do, however, not doing it not only takes away life from your equipment, but it costs you money in the form of less efficient combustion.
As an example, not changing your furnace air filter for a year means your equipment has to work harder (ie burn more fuel, which is expensive) to get the same amount of heat.
It also means more gunk buildup in your system, which means it does not last as long. Heating systems are very expensive to replace - with gas systems costing north of $10,000 and oil systems slightly below that. I hope you are fortunate enough to have that kind of cash laying around, but most don’t. Even if you did, why would you want to spend it now instead of maintaining your systems so they last longer?
If your house is feeling drafty, it’s possible you are missing insulation. Homeowner’s in Massachusetts can take advantage of incredible deals on insulation and improved heating equipment like mini-splits (also referred to as “heat pumps”) through Mass Save.
I’ve heard of Mass Save rebates as high as 90% on the costs to replace insulation. Personally, we had all new insulation blown into our house last year and what normally would have been $9,000 was about $1,400. Yes, we paid $1,400 for this, but it cut our heating bills in half and the home is now more comfortable each season. Well worth it.
Most Mass Save contractors will do a free energy assessment. If you haven’t taken advantage of one of these yet, I strongly recommend you do. It’s free, and again, they have incredible offers for Massachusetts homeowners.
These programs also come with tax benefits, such as tax credits for the costs of blow in insulation through Mass Save. I’m not a CPA and this is not tax advice.
Stock Up On Ice Melt
Now is the time to go get a few 50 lb buckets of ice melt. It not only keeps you safe, but it keeps anyone who walks on your property safe. Given it’s the holiday season, I’m sure there are a lot of delivery drivers walking up and down your driveway.
Not only is spreading ice melt around your paved areas the right thing to do for you, your family, and people delivering things to your home, it can also prevent liability claims against you, God forbid someone fell and got hurt on your property.
While homeowners insurance often covers accidents that happen on your property, if the accident was a result of gross negligence on your part, then it’s possible your carrier might not cover the claim fully.
Keep you, your family, and your neighbors safe with this simple step and additionally protect yourself from liability.
Winterize Spigots
If you have exterior water spigots, you should winterize these now. Without winterized spigots, you greatly increase your chances of having pipes burst this winter.
Why? When water supply valves are on, water is in the supply pipes up to the valve. This means when the valves are in the open position, there is water right up to where the exterior spigot is. As it gets colder, so does the water, and since water expands when it freezes (an incredible quality for life on earth, but very very bad for homeowners), the expanded water can generate enough pressure in the inside walls of the pipe that it causes it to burst.
And since the valves in this situation are open, water will come flooding everywhere and it won’t stop until someone turns the water off.
So how do you winterize your exterior spigots? Thankfully it is a very easy and simple process.
First, find the valve inside that leads to the exterior spigot and turn it off. If it is a ball valve, you turn the valve so it is perpendicular to the pipe. If it is a circular “gate” valve, turn it clockwise to the right.
Next, go outside and turn the spigot valve to the open position. Some water should come out at first and then some more will periodically drip out. If you have hoses, disconnect them and also drain these.
Finally, I’d recommend buying some insulated spigot covers on Amazon. You can get a two pack for a few dollars. Once the spigot is fully drained and no longer leaking, you can close the exterior spigot.
Once the covers arrive, wrap them around the spigot heads, and viola! Your spigots are insulated and your home is more protected.
Conclusion
Like anything in homeownership, a little bit of maintenance goes a long way. Take these very simple steps to keep you and your family protected. Save money on your heating bills, and keep your home in good condition so that when it’s time to sell, you can get top dollar for your property.
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