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Tips & Tricks
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As winter fast approaches, many of you may be looking back at the previous winter's heating bill and saying, "Never again." It's easy cranking up the thermostat and putting off the true cost in your mind until the bill comes, and then it can be quite a shock. So here are several practical steps to keeping your house warm this winter without turning up the heater and costing you an arm and a leg.
First, you want to make sure the heat already inside your home isn't escaping through cracks and gaps, so check every door and window for cold air coming in. The best way is to hold the back of your hand to the frames, and if you feel cool air coming in, you have a problem. A good low-cost product for insulating door frames is foam tape, and for windows you can use rubber weather sealing. Also, don't forget to check the bottoms of doors and install a door sweep if you have a draft underneath.
Next, check the insulation in your attic and make sure it's applied evenly, not in clumps. If the floor joists are still visible, it's best to add insulation to a level just covering the joists. And, this is easy to overlook, make sure your attic door is adequately sealed and add weather sealing where needed.
Got a fireplace? Great for warm fires, but not great if you leave the damper open, so remember to shut it between uses. And if you have any unused rooms, you can shut them off, too, and close their air vents to save you a little more energy.
With all this insulating and sealing, it should be cautioned that this can increase risks of carbon monoxide buildup, so make sure you install a carbon monoxide detector and test it according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Next, you want to turn to your windows. Cover them with thick curtains, which you should keep closed except when they're exposed to direct sunlight. Then open them, and as the song says, "Let the sunshine in." The heat gained from those rays will be significant in keeping your house warm later in the evening. In fact, if it's warm enough outside you can open the windows, too, drawing on the maxim, "Keep windows open at night during summer, and during the day in winter."
Your floors aren't exempt from all this attention, especially if they're hardwood. Carpeted floors are naturally insulating, but hardwood floors don't have that layer and can even have small gaps between the floor boards. You can check the insulation below the floor, but even easier, throw a classy rug over it. This will keep the heat in and also do wonders for your bare feet.
Do you consider your microwave your "oven" and your oven that "thing under the stove that never gets used?" You could do yourself a big favor and start cooking with your real oven, not just because learning how to cook is good for you, but because a hot oven is also a bonus source of heat.
So no need to overwork your poor thermostat this winter. With the above tips and a little warm clothing, you can keep your home warmer than you thought and save some money for the better things in life (like a Hawaiian vacation).
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