With winter not too far off, I’ve decided to start
“winterizing” my home and getting other things ready for an extended period of
cold weather. If you live in an older
home like me, drafts, cold air and frost on the windows are a way of life. Recently I have started to do some things in
my home that help with keeping the heat in which then keeps my heating bill
manageable. Here is a list of some
helpful hints that may work for you:
Weather proof your windows- These are fairly
inexpensive materials that can keep the cold air out and warm air in. Kits for this are sold at many places such as
Wal-Mart, Target and other stores which may have a home section. Pretty simple, you put plastic on your windows,
hit them with a hair dryer and it seals shut.
The kits also normally come with weather stripping for doors and cracks.
Space heaters-My recommendation for
this are space heaters that say on the box it utilizes a ceramic heating
element. These are usually safer and
more cost efficient. I use a space
heater in the room my family is in. I
also have them placed around the house in frequented areas. There is no dramatic increase in your
electric bill by using the space heaters but it does cut the cost of heating
with gas.
Setting your thermostat at one temperature-This
one kind of goes with the previous space heater tip. In the winter, I set my thermostat at
62. Then I use a space heater if I need
to. What this does is decreases the
number times your furnace will turn on and off if your house is losing some of
the heat. Set it at a comfortable degree
that fits your family and use space heaters for a boost of that warm air.
Check your attic insulation-I was
surprised to learn that the insulation in my attic was so old it just wasn’t
working. One of things I was told by the
people installing my new insulation was to look at your roof when there is snow
on it. If, after a snow, your roof
commonly keeps snow on it, that means there is cold air below it and is not
allowing the snow to melt. Usually in
the attic. If, after a snow, you notice
your roof is frequently lacking snow that is due in part to the house holding
its heat and the attic is warmer. Check
it out next time it snows at your house.
Keep your curtains open (during the day) -
How many times have you come home on a hot summer day and you can just feel the
heat coming through the windows. Same
thing applies to the winter. Keeping
your curtains open during daylight hours allows the suns natural heat to warm
your home. If you set your thermostat a
lower temperature, this will warm your home and prevent your furnace from
frequent starts and stops.
These are just a few tips for what I call “winterizing” your
home. But remember safety comes
first. Avoid using ovens, oil lamps,
older space heaters, candles and un-inspected fire places to keep warm. These
are all fire hazards and should not be used to warm your home. So stay safe and keep warm.
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