This year’s best gifts to give your home

From festive dinners and baked treats to pajama-clad mornings and cozy, fireside nights, there’s nowhere like home for the holidays. This season, to celebrate the place that serves us with special moments and memories around the clock, we’re looking at all the ways we can give back to our homes now—and help them to have their best year yet. From exterior upkeep to preventative power and water measures, here are some of the top devices and services you can offer your home this winter—which just so happen to be a few of our favorite things.

Gutter cleaning and tree trimming

Winter Prep – cleaning the gutters of leaves. Here, we see them clogging the gutters of a traditional home.

If you didn’t get around to cleaning your gutters this fall, it’s a good idea to prioritize the task this season. “If you have anything in your gutters and then have freezing rain or snow, it can create a blockage that can cause water damage,” says Amanda McComas, Berkley One’s VP of Risk Management. McComas also recommends caring for surrounding trees before a long season of snow. “Trees near the home should be trimmed back to help prevent limbs falling on the home due to the weight of ice or snow.

Roof clearing

House roof with frozen snow icicles in winter.

If you live in an area that is prone to heavy snow, it’s important to have someone who can come to clear off your roof on a regular basis. “Depending on the kind of roof, ice dams or heavy snow can cause severe damage to a house,” says McComas, who also notes the importance of attics being both insulated and ventilated. “Insulation and ventilation are both critical, to help prevent the snow from melting, refreezing an creating greater potential for ice dams.”

Furnace maintenance

It’s a wise idea to have your HVAC system maintained before we head into the year’s most frigid months. “People often have their heat fail on the coldest day of the year because that’s the day your heating system could be working its hardest,” says McComas, who notes that finding an HVAC technician to come out in an emergency can also be a difficult and costly task—especially during a regional freeze, when a multitude of homeowners are looking for the same service. “If you have your system serviced in late fall or early winter, the technician can change your furnace filter and help ensure everything is working properly.”  The same applies to a secondary home, which we recommend heating at a minimum of 60°F throughout winter months—done either in-person each time before leaving the property, or remotely (via technology like Nest).

Chimney cleaning and maintenance

Annual fireplace and chimney maintenance is recommended, especially as we head into a season of higher use. “This will help to take care of any soot and debris that has built up since your last cleaning, while also checking to see whether your chimney is housing any wildlife, such as nests made by birds or squirrels,” says McComas. While there, the contractor can look at the chimney’s spark arrestors and caps as well (which can help to prevent any fire sparks from landing on nearby leaves, debris, or roofing). For more information on chimney care, click here.

Low temperature alert sensor

Low temperature sensors are part of a central station alarm system, and most homes have one per heating zone. If the heat were to ever go off and if the temperature drops below a safe level, a low temperature sensor sets off the alarm—notifying homeowners to help prevent running into any issues with burst pipes and water damage.  “We’ve been seeing more unusually cold weather patterns throughout the country, which gets us thinking about steps to care for homes beyond what we’ve needed to do in the past,” says McComas. “Low temperatures can cause significant damage to a home—especially a secondary home not as frequently occupied—and these sensors equip owners with a preventative approach.”

Driveway and property plowing

When you have a secondary home in a cold-climate area, McComas recommends having someone who can visit the property to plow out the driveway after snow accumulation. “Should anything happen to your home when you’re not there, you want to be sure that emergency vehicles have access to the property,” she says. “Having a cleared driveway also helps to make it look like somebody is home at all times, which may help make the property less of a target for break-ins and theft.”

Water shutoff device

To help protect against the possibility of water damage in your home, McComas suggests installing a flow-based water shutoff device on the main plumbing line. “These devices monitor the flow of water coming into your home and are smart enough to know if you have even a minuscule leak coming in from your pipes,” she says. “It knows the difference between water needed for a shower or dishwasher versus a true leak, and it’s able to detect an unusual rate of flow that then triggers and turns off water directly at the main.”

Back-up generator

A home generator that provides electricity during a power outage. It is connected to a propane gas supply.

If you can make a large investment in your home this year, a back-up generator is an item that can be of significant benefit during winter months—and throughout the year. “If you are able to maintain power in the home, then you reduce the potential for losing your heat, or having your pipes freeze and burst—so it’s another form of preventative maintenance for cold weather issues.” says McComas, who also emphasizes the generator’s all-season benefits across safety and comfort.

‘Tis the season for new technology—and supportive neighbors

With all the technology advances in the property care space, McComas recommends looking into a few to help provide ease and efficiency in homeowning—and some peace of mind. “There are so many amazing products out now that can offer that extra layer of visibility into what is going on with a primary or secondary home, such as temperature sensors, doorbell cameras, and water shutoff devices linked directly to your phone, most of which can send you alerts and push notifications,” she says. Having a good friend or supportive neighbor in the area is always an added comfort, too. “If you have a secondary property and are not there with regularity, having a caretaker who can come by the home and check on everything—feel the temperature, run the water, walk the exterior—is really good to have in place.”

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Berkley One is a Berkley Company.

It helps to have resources you can count on, and at Berkley One, our risk management and claims experts are here to help with proactive advice and risk consulting for your home. We also offer access to our PlusOne SM Service Network, a team of fully vetted and insured contractors and service providers at your fingertips who can help clients with home installations or repairs before or after a covered claim. To learn more, contact us here.