With cooler weather on the horizon, homeowners in Massachusetts generally start winterizing their home by sealing air leaks and upgrading insulation. Because frozen pipes aren’t uncommon in our region, homeowners should also take the time to protect their plumbing systems. 

In the Massachusetts climate, the more you upgrade home insulation, the warmer you'll stay in winter -- without having to raise your thermostat. The easiest place to add insulation is your attic, but adding it to your walls is also possible, although it's a little more time consuming. Both projects are affordable ways to increase your energy efficiency for decades to come.

East Coast winters are notoriously unpredictable. A blizzard could knock out your power and confine you to your home for days – a prospect that should motivate you to prepare now for a winter weather emergency.

If you want peak performance from your water heater year after year, and safe and clean water for you and your loved ones, schedule a water heater tune-up with your HVAC professional.

Reducing your home's heating load leads to greater energy efficiency and lower utility bills. One way to minimize the amount of energy your heating system must generate to keep your home comfortable that's often overlooked is to use well-designed landscaping.

Before cooler weather arrives, you're wise to get your home systems ready for action. You can winterize your home by cleaning your gutters to allow snow melt to drain freely, and heading to your local hardware store to get door stops to fix those pesky drafts. But there are other energy-saving projects you should perform each fall to ensure that your heating system can function efficiently, and energy bills remain low.

If you have ceiling fans in your home, you have undoubtedly come to appreciate how air movement can help keep you cooler in the summer. Coupled with an efficient air conditioner, ceiling fans work wonders to keep you comfortable while lowering your summertime electricity bills.

Winter in Massachusetts is chilly and fuel prices tend to be high, showing no sign of lowering. To make the most out of your energy budget, try these cost-cutting measures to lower your heating bill:

It may be hard to believe, but the time to switch on your furnace is near. In fact, you may have already used it once or twice on a cool fall morning. While you may have already scheduled your fall preventive maintenance and given thought to sealing off your windows, have you given any thought to your carbon monoxide detectors?

The air leaks in your home may seem like a charming nuisance; you may notice them as you walk by a door or window and think, “Well, no home is perfect.”

But truth be told, those air leaks are costing you serious money, so finding and fixing all of them in your Massachusetts-area home will reduce your home's carbon footprint while saving money on your energy bill.