Eco-Prepare Your Home For Autumn

Okay, okay, so it’s still summer. But that doesn’t mean autumn isn’t just a few weeks and a few golden, fallen leaves away!It’s never too early, now that it’s August, to start thinking about preparing for beautiful autumn, and what better way to do so than with some eco-friendly preparation tips?

Check for gaps around your windows and doors – Check for leaks by lighting some incense and watching the smoke or trying to insert a piece of paper through the seams of doors and windows.  Eliminating leaks will increase the overall efficiency of your home heating and cooling.

Do a walk-around outside you house – Be sure to walk around the entire perimeter of your house and bring in the summer items you put out, such as extension cords (which could be a shock hazard), furniture (which would suffer during winter weather), plants (which would die in a freeze) and lawn tools and hoses (which may either freeze or be rust during winter weather).  By bringing in your summer gear, you will prevent possessions from being destroyed in the coming weather, prevent potentially expensive plumbing problems and avoid shock hazards.+

Manage your hazardous materials – Fall is a perfect time to take stock of all your hazardous materials.  Gather all your paints, stains, solvents and fuels, write them down, determine what needs to be kept and what needs to be disposed, and then store them in a ventilated area away from the furnace. By managing your toxic materials, you will be able to minimize exposure to them.

Properly close down your air conditioner – Either cover your room air conditioner or remove and store it. Covering the outdoor unit of a central air conditioner will protect the unit from winter weather and debris.  Properly closing down your air conditioner will prevent possible air leaks as well as protecting your equipment from winter weather.

Prepare your furnace for winter – Before turning on your heater, be sure to change its filters and call a heating and cooling specialist for its yearly inspection.  The yearly inspection is very important.  In addition to ensuring that your furnace will be working at its most efficient, inspections also check to make sure that gas and electric equipment is functioning properly.  Gas leaks or electric problems can pose serious fire, poisoning and explosion risks.

Properly prepare your lawn equipment for the winter – After you mow your lawn for the last time, be sure to drain all gas from your mower. Gather all your summer gardening equipment (mower, blowers, weed-eaters, trimmers, etc.), clean them, and then find a dry place to store them until spring.

See more at: http://www.caelusgreenroom.com/2011/09/19/6-green-tips-to-prepare-your-home-for-autumn/#sthash.EJmbl8s1.dpuf (source)