(WXYZ) — As temperatures begin to rise, getting your home ready for summer is not just about comfort — it could also save you money.
Experts say spring is the perfect time to check for damage left behind by winter, make sure your air conditioning system is working properly, and seal up any leaks that could drive up your energy bill. In some cases, there are even programs that can help cover the cost of those upgrades.
See the full story in the video below
While hiring a crew to help you out is usually the most efficient way to weatherize your home before the warmer months, there are some things you can check yourself, like your furnace filter. Changing a dirty filter filled with dust and debris for a clean one should keep it good for about three months.
I followed Deontaye York with All Weather Comfort Solutions on the job as he ran tests on a Southfield home as the seasons changed. He checked heating and cooling units, inspected insulation levels, and identified possible air leaks.
"We are pretty much inspecting the house from top to bottom," York said.
"Normally, a lot of people like to use their furnace around this time; they’re not really using their AC, so when we get in to run those tests, it pretty much works out pretty good right now at this time," York said.
Homeowner Macherie Everson said she called All Weather Comfort Solutions to help her save money this summer. She is working to seal gaps around her home, but her air conditioner is nearly 20 years old and needs to be replaced.
"If you don’t weatherize, your costs will go through the roof. The heat is going out the window, there’s drafts, there’s all kinds of issues. You can literally hear the wind whistling when there’s a storm, which lets you know there’s wind coming straight through the window," Everson said.
"During the summer, when I turned on the air conditioner only about three times, our bill went from $60 to almost $250," Everson said.
A state-funded program called the Michigan Home Energy Rebates Program, or MIHER, is helping her cover the cost of a new air conditioning unit and other upgrades.
"It’s really great to even have the funding available because a lot of people are in a situation where they don’t make a lot right now and they are homeowners and they really want to be able to stay on top of things," Everson said.
Service tech Austin Koehler said even if you are not replacing equipment, there are simple steps every homeowner can take right now. These include checking windows and doors for drafts, sealing any cracks with caulk or weather stripping, clearing debris from outdoor air conditioning units, making sure your thermostat is working properly, and changing or cleaning your air filters.
"Usually with one inch filters we change those on a regular basis, about every three months, but if there’s cats and dogs in the home we highly recommend that people check them more frequently," Koehler said.
Taking care of these small fixes now could help you stay cool and save money when the summer heat arrives. Information about the MIHER program can be found on WXYZ.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
