TEXAS — If you lived through the February 2021 winter storm in Texas, you know that without electricity, conditions inside your home can quickly mimic those outside. Parts of Texas are currently under a Winter Weather Advisory as a cold front makes its way through the state.  

While the Electric Reliability Council of Texas this week said Texas’ electric grid is up to snuff for winter weather, questions about gas production facilities persist, leaving many Texans with an uneasy feeling.

To combat those feelings of anxiety, you can take a few steps now to winter-proof your home.

The first thing you want to do is walk the perimeter of your home and locate all the outdoor spigots and hoses.

"If you think it will get cold enough to freeze, get the hose off of there, make that go away. Your house will freeze very quickly, and if the hose is still attached, it will force it to freeze up into your home," said Mike Marugo, manager at ABC Home & Commercial Services. 

Once you have all the hoses removed, you can protect the spigots with store-bought insulated canisters or even old T-shirts and towels.

The key is to protect your pipes from the outside air. If you have a main sprinkler backflow valve outside, wrap it to protect it from the elements.

If you have a pier and beam home, wrap all the exposed pipes under your home with foam tubing. Make sure to cover every seam so it’s as airtight as possible.

Home Depot advises you to make sure your roof shingles are intact and that all your crawl spaces are insulated.

Next, you can move inside your home, and the first stop is your kitchen. Is your sink on an outside wall? If so, open the cabinets underneath to let the warm air from the house flow in, which will help protect those fragile pipes.

Everyone usually knows that during a hard freeze, you need to drip your sinks, but Marugo says there’s a common mistake people make.

"If you have separate handles, one hot and one cold, turn both of them on a little and let it drip. If you have a single handle, put it somewhere in the middle so it pulls hot and cold water through the house," he said.

Marugo says many people remember to drip their faucets but forget to turn both the hot and cold lines on to get both moving. If you forget, the side that is not moving is susceptible to freezing.

Home Depot advises you locate and maximize your heating options. If a power outage occurs, you will want to provide another way to heat up your home. This can be in the form of heaters that use natural gas, propane, etc. Firewood for the fireplace is also a good option.

Another golden rule of surviving the winter without going broke is the two-degree increment rule.

"If you want to save money, don’t turn your thermostat up in increments of more than two degrees at a time. It’s fine to go from 65 to 67 and then bump it to 69 to raise it slowly so that the heat strips don’t come on," says manager, David Boyer.

If your heat strips come on, your system goes into emergency mode and burns more electricity. To keep the hot air inside, Home Depot encourages you to weatherstrip around and insulate doors and windows to prevent drafts.

Make sure to have your furnace inspected annually so that it is working and rust will not build up. These inspections look for leaks and also are testing carbon monoxide levels.

Having a home emergency kit with supplies to last each member of the household a couple days is also important in case of any unpredicted circumstances. Don’t forget to supply for your pets as well if you have any.

The last check you want to do is on your HVAC system in the attic. Of course, you want to make sure your system is breathing properly so change the filter if it’s time, but you’ll also want to glance around at your ductwork. Is it secured properly? Are there any rips or places that aren’t seamless?

To make sure you get all the heat you are paying for and you're not just heating your attic, you want to make sure the ductwork has a continuous flow.

Marugo says the best advice he can give you is "Don’t panic. Just take an hour to do this seasonal checkup now."

Remember, last year’s winter storm was an anomaly. It’s not standard for Texas, so nine times out of 10, these checkup items will get you and your family through winter unscathed.​

Spectrum News 1 meteorologist Megan Campbell contributed to this story.