With Temperatures Dropping, Sears Home Services is Making it Easier for Customers to Winterize their Homes−and Help Save Money in the Process

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Nov. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With the East Coast's recent snowstorm serving as an early reminder of the winter coming on strong, Sears Home Services is providing multiple ways to help homeowners prepare their homes as the cold weather sets in. As the nation's largest provider of home services, Sears has the expertise and proven experience to be the authority on the topic.

"At Sears, we recognize that properly preparing your home for winter is important. With forecasters predicting this season's weather to be worse than last years, heating the house efficiently is a priority for many customers," said Stu Reed, SVP and president of Sears Home Services. "We encourage customers to winterize their homes and consult with a professional to determine if heating-system maintenance is needed, or if window and roofing repairs and replacements are recommended."

In addition to keeping families warm, properly winterizing and taking advantage of home services solutions in advance of winter storms can also help cut energy bills throughout the coldest months. When considering potential home winterization and maintenance, Sears advises customers to use the following checklist of important home to-do items to help ensure you are well protected as temperatures drop. To help with this process, Sears Home Service associates are available to assist in assessing customers' needs and identifying the best plan of action.

WINTERIZATION CHECKLIST:

• Maintaining Home Heating Systems

Now is the time to look at home heating systems—before sub-freezing temperatures become the norm. Clogged and dirty vents force heaters to work harder to warm the home, translating to higher heating bills. Sears customers can have their heating vents cleaned to help with air circulation and ventilation. This simple cleaning service will not only help keep homes warmer, it will also assist in keeping wallets a bit fuller, too.

Heating system preventive maintenance can also help ensure that your home heating system is running efficiently. A 20-point home heating preventive maintenance check prior to winter's full force descending on homeowners will help safeguard against costly breakdowns in the future and in the midst of a winter storm when they can least repair it.

Additionally, for homeowners with aging heating systems that are 10 years or older, it may be time replace it with a more energy efficient option. To help determine if a new home heating system is needed, Sears customers can request a free in-home design consultation.

• Reducing Window and Roof Drafts

An essential step to keeping cozy and saving energy is to inspect the home for leaks and drafts. Improperly sealed homes waste energy and reduce the effectiveness of home heating systems. Notable heat loss often occurs through windows and the roof, especially older ones.

A simple way to check for leaks is to hold a lit incense stick next to doorways and windows and watch the smoke. Sears Home Services can help improve the energy efficiency of your home through in-home consultations to help you understand possible window or roof problem areas and, if necessary, install new, more efficient options. Sears professional project consultants can provide installation estimates in advance to help customers plan ahead. Check for drafts before Old Man Winter arrives to stay snug and dry when it's frosty outside.

• Unclogging Gutters to Prevent Future Home Damage

While repairing current leaks in a roof should be considered a priority to help maintain heat in the home, customers should also take simple precautions to prevent future damage caused by freezing weather, such as cleaning gutters. Clogged gutters lead to ice dams in winter, which occur when water freezes near the edge of a roof and creates a dam that blocks the flow of water off the roof. This can lead to water from melting snow finding its way under shingles, causing new roof leaks and dripping into the house.

• Prepping Water Heater and Pipes

If your water heater does not have an insulating blanket built into the unit, homeowners should be sure to wrap the pipes in advance of winter. These heaters are often the least efficient appliances in a home and have to work harder to provide homeowners with hot water on the coldest days if they aren't insulated. Wrap your water heater and pipes in advance of winter to stay warm and reduce energy costs.

• Utilizing ENERGY STAR® Qualified Products

There is still time to take advantage of tax credits from the government. Additionally, Sears encourages customers to consider ENERGY STAR-qualified products for all their home improvement needs and repairs. Through current ENERGY STAR government tax offers(1), customers can save up to $200 on qualified replacement windows and up to $300 on qualified water heaters installed by Dec. 31, 2011.

• Tuning Up Snow Throwers

As snowfall starts to sweep the nation, now is the time to pull the snow thrower out of storage and determine whether it needs tuning up or repair services. In advance of the season's heaviest snow storms, customers can bring in their snow thrower to a local Sears and have it serviced to help ensure it's ready for the winter weather. For the do-it-yourself enthusiasts, SearsPartsDirect.com offers parts and accessories for snow throwers.

Visit Sears Home Services online for more information on these energy saving home services http://www.searshomeservices.com/ or by calling 1800-4MY-HOME.

About Sears Holdings Corporation

Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) is the nation's fourth largest broadline retailer with over 4,000 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, consumer electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. Sears Holdings is the 2011 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands'' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has the Country Living collection, which is offered by Sears and Kmart. We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 11 million service calls made annually. Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at www.searsholdings.com. |Twitter: @searsholdings | |Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SHCCareers

(1) Tax offer ends 12/31/11. Qualified product(s) must be installed by 12/31/11. See http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index for details.

SOURCE Sears Holdings Corporation