Angie's List: Tips for prepping your home for winter

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - With fall officially here, now is the time to prep your home for the upcoming cold weather. By increasing your home's energy efficiency, you can save money on your energy bills.

Angie's List stresses the importance of inspecting your roof. It is one of the most expensive and time consuming parts of your home to fix. Roofing contractors suggest you have your roof inspected in the fall before winter and again in the spring.

Experts recommend checking around with roofing companies since some will not charge for an inspection. A roof inspection can help identify potential problems.  Home owners should replace any cracked or damaged shingles or roofing pieces.

"If you have a roof problem, it's going to obviously let water into your house eventually, which can damage the underside of the roof deck itself -- that's what the shingles are nailed to -- as well as drip down and get into the interior drywall of the house the structure itself,” roofing contractor Jim Keffer explained.

Home owners should check gutters, too. If they are blocked, water can accumulate on the roof causing damage. 

Angie’s List suggests you should clean your gutters and downspouts late in the fall season. Leaves can hold water, which in turn becomes ice, adding weight to your gutters and roof.