UTAH COUNTY, Utah — FOX 13 News spoke with Utah business experts on how to best prepare your home for the coming Winter as temperatures drop across the state.
According to Cook's Farm and Greenhouse manager Derek Collins, October is the time they actually prepare for the Spring season.
“You know it always picks up a bit for the fall, and then it dies back down," he said. We actually start prepping for spring. They planted a bunch of flowers for spring today.”
For HVAC companies across Utah, like Jared Whitaker with Gunthers Heating, Cooling and Plumbing, a lot of business starts when people first fire up their heaters.
“Mostly it’s emergency phone calls…when people start smelling something funny the first time their furnace kicks on," he said.
They work around the clock on preventative maintenance for homes before the first freeze takes place.
“As soon as it gets cold, our guys are out there, day and night, constantly,” he said. “Go down to your furnace. Check your filter. Change it. Change it again in mid-winter. Cleaner, safer air makes everything more comfortable for you”.
For your garden, Collins recommends checking which of your plants are perennial and need care.
“Your perennials, depending on what it is, now’s a good time to trim a lot of them back,” he said. "Helps the roots to be a little bit more established and that way, next spring, it comes out a little bit better, a little bit greener, faster.”
Whitaker recommends making sure your sprinkler system and hoses are unhooked.
“Studies show that you can save between five and 30 percent on your utilities by proactively maintaining your HVAC equipment,” he said.
He also recommends checking the exterior walls if they are well-heated to avoid burst pipes if you have a basement.
