Winterizing your home is the process of preparing your home for the challenging cold months ahead. Although that might be the furthest thing from your mind in August, getting the right tools for the job and developing a plan of action ahead of time will pay off later. Protecting your plumbing system, heating system, and cooling system while you can still get to everything in the warm weather is also convenient. 

Plumbing 

Anyone who has dealt with a ruptured pipe knows how difficult that situation can be. All of your furniture and personal items in the vicinity of the blast will get doused, and the water won't stop flowing until the water supply is physically turned off. Smaller ruptures in your pipes due to frigid temperatures can lead to mold problems and more subtle property damage that isn't diagnosed until much later. 

The thing to do is winterize all of your exposed pipes in order to ensure that the temperature of pipes in exposed areas in and around your home doesn't get so cold that they rupture. Pipes snaking through your attic or garage are especially vulnerable to rupturing during the winter months. Try wrapping foam insulation around your pipes in these areas where your heating might leave unattended.

Next, turn off the water supply to exterior pipes and sprinkler systems prior to draining each of residual water. Since all homes have slightly different heating and plumbing, try adjusting the temperature in your home such that pipes in areas of the home that don't get much heat don't get so cold that they rupture. 

Insulation 

Insulating the attic in the fall can save a ton of money on heating expenses in the winter since heat has a tendency to rise. The implication here is that heat will escape through a drafty attack and cost you potentially hundreds more on heating in the winter if you forgo insulating your attack in the fall. Harsher climates with more frigid winters might call for insulation at least one foot in average thickness. 

A storm door with a plastic screen and caulking exposed areas around your doors and windows can also save you substantial amounts of money on your heating expenses from October through February. The best part is that weatherproofing your home for winter can help in the summer as well by keeping in air-conditioned air. 

Cooling 

Cooling might not seem like a logical item in this list but protecting an external HVAC unit and removing window air conditioners can lead to lower heating expenses. Clearing your HVAC unit of leaves that might come down in late fall and putting a tarp on your external HVAC unit will help to protect its components from rusting out in the challenging winter months ahead. Removing window air conditioners will similarly protect the unit and offer the additional benefit of allowing homeowners to seal off their homes and keep heated air inside. 

Taking a few steps to winterize your home's plumbing and overhaul your insulation helps.