Baby, It’s Cold Outside
How do you make sure that the cold stays there, outside of your home?
Top Six Easiest Ways to Prepare Your Home For Winter, Emphasis on Easy
Thankfully not every DIY project has to be time or money intensive.
1) Go up into your attic and check out your insulation. You need at least 12″ of insulation up there, no matter what climate you live in. The attic space in your home is sucking your heat right out of your roof, not to mention your dollars. A good rule of thumb? if you look up at the joists in your attic and can see them… you need more insulation.
2) Block the areas where cold air is leaking into your home. If you feel a breeze when you stand in front of your windows or doors, that is not a good thing. According to the Earthworks group, the average American home has air leaks that amount to having a 9ft hole in the side of the house. Wow. Also, Brrrrrr.
Luckily buying and installing weather stripping is an inexpensive investment that yields an impressive return. There are many different types of weatherstripping to chose from, each one appropriate for different applications. The U.S. Department of Energy has a great tutorial on this that you would be well advised to read before beginning.
3) Insulate your pipes. This is so easy. Go down to your basement and find your exposed pipes and wrap them in insulation. Your showers will be warmer since the hot water doesn’t have to pass through what amounts to an ice tube to get to you. And you will not have to worry about burst pipes. Then wrap your hot water heater in an insulating blanket. It will thank you by saving you the money it keeps to maintain that constant warm temperature. Nearly 15% of your energy bill is going to heat your hot water.
4) Fill the gaps and cracks on the outside of your home, areas like around windows and faucets. Silicon caulk costs about $10 a tube. Use it liberally wherever you see a crack.
5) Change your air filters on your furnace to make sure that your furnace is functioning at its most efficient. Air filters typically cost $1 each and last for a month.
6) Hang insulated curtains up in your home. Keep them closed on north facing windows. Open the curtains on the south facing windows to let the sunlight naturally warm your home. Then close the curtains at night to keep the heat inside.
