How to Manage Winter Home Maintenance

Like it or not, winter is here, and with it comes a host of important—and costly—tasks around the home. According to a survey from ValuePenguin, Americans spend an average of $1,258 prepping their cars, homes and more for winter. Consider the following survey findings and see how your winter expenditures compare—along with areas that you might be unwittingly missing:

 

Winter prep can be expensive... 

The average annual cost of prepping for winter averages $1,258, and unsurprisingly, 66% of Americans say winter is the most expensive season to prepare for. Unsurprisingly, 78% of those from the Midwest and Northeast claim this to be the case. 

The biggest concerns for winter are power outages (46%), vehicle safety (40%) and frozen pipes (40%). Most winter prep in America is focused on mitigating or preventing the consequences that arise from these concerns.

 

Safety and warmth are top priorities when it comes to winter prep...

 79% will do general maintenance on their vehicles and 57% will ensure their heater and defroster work properly. 58% will check or repair their home heating systems, 47% will winterize their outdoor faucets and 46% will keep snow-clearing equipment handy.

Many don't take crucial mitigation steps. Most Americans don't remove dead branches from their trees (76%). They also don't check or fix their insulation (66%), the pipes in their homes (63%), and their roofs and roof gutters (62%). Most Americans stop at just winterizing outdoor faucets (47%), keeping snow shovels handy (46%), and repairing window seals (43%). 

 

Most don't consider the financial implications of winter home maintenance...

 3 in 10 Americans worry they can't afford the cost of repairs from potential winter weather damage, but 91% don't check their car and home insurance policies to see if they're protected against common winter perils. Prepare for El Nino. El Nino is expected to bring a warmer and drier winter to the West and Midwest and a wetter and cooler winter to the South. While 85% of Midwesterners will prepare their homes and/or cars for the brutal winters they’ve come to expect, 30% of Southerners plan to make no winter preparations.

 

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2024. All rights reserved.

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