November 2006
Linda's Tips
This month’s tips originally appeared in Omaha Builder Magazine.
18 Ways to Winterize Your Home
written by James Alfred
Every year, energy costs rise! What can you do to combat this spiraling inflation? There are many tips on how to do this... some much easier than others. Without the changeover of major appliances, windows and doors, here are some tips on how you can
make a noticeable difference on your winter heating bill.
-
Close all cupboard, closet and attic crawl space access doors. It's true; most of your cupboards are located next to outside walls. These walls are not heated and will infiltrate the cold air into the room. Closets need not be heated and keeping the
door open all the time requires your furnace to work that much harder.
-
Shut-off heat and cold air return registers in unused rooms. As long as you don't have water appliances available to these rooms, it's OK to shut them down…especially if they're only used for storage and you access them only a few times a year. Again,
the less square footage your furnace has to heat... the more you’ll save!
-
Make sure all exterior access doors are insulated properly. Even a space as small as 1/16” "f an inch can cause uncomfortable drafts and cold air infiltration. If your weather stripping around doors is old and worn out, replace it. A "sealing" type of
stripping is better because it works to always fill small voids, even if the doors are uneven. Also check the bottom seal of the door to make sure it fits snugly against the threshold.
-
Change furnace filters every three months. Dirty filters slow down the forced air flow CFM's of your ductwork making your furnace work longer and harder to heat the same area. Clean filters also trap allergens and small dust mites... making your house
cleaner and more sanitary. Always buy good quality filters.
-
Install press-and-seal plastic sheeting to the inside of your windows. 3-M and a few other companies make a good product for sealing leaky windows from outside drafts. Some of these products also feature a heatshrink feature enabling you to use a simple
hair dryer to shrink and trim the wrinkles. These products can be easily removed in the spring, allowing you to open the outside windows.
-
Keep drapes and window shades drawn. Fabric drapes and window shades act as an insulator. If possible, use the natural solar energy of the sun to send heat through east and west-facing windows.
-
If you have a dark color roof, stuff rags or crumpled newspaper in your roof vents. This will help to trap as much warm air and recycle it to your inside rooms during the winter months. Remember to remove these stuffings in the spring.
-
In older homes, check for cracked or missing glazing between the glass and the wood window frames. You'll want to replace and repaint this glazing before winter to seal cold air infiltration.
-
Lock and secure all windows. Most people forget to do this step. Doing so will insure a snug fitting window... not to mention making your home more secure!
-
Insulate your garage door. Make sure your side seals are intact and fit snugly against the door when it is closed. Make sure the bottom gasket which touches the concrete is supple and fits tightly against the floor. Install a foam insulation kit to the
inside of your garage door.
-
Caulk all outside and inside window trim. Your painter is supposed to do this, but sometimes it's a missed item. Take each window separately and examine it carefully both inside and out. Use a good grade 25-year silicon caulk that matches your paint colors.
-
When doing new or remodeled construction, specify a quality infiltration barrier. Products like "Tyvek" and similar products cut way down on cold air infiltration and save heating dollars!
-
Add a large room sized area rug to wood or tile floors above non-insulated rooms. If you have rooms over garages or crawl spaces, a good area rug will help to hold the heat in the room. It will also make the floor more comfortable to walk on.
-
Keep water heaters set between 120-130-degrees. Settings of 140-160-degrees burns lots of energy... you'll notice the difference, plus you should be careful of scald temps when you have small children! The American Association of Pediatric Physicians recommends
settings in the 120-130 degree range.
-
Add styrofoam insulation to all laid block or poured concrete basement walls. An installation of 1 5/8" foam insulation will help your entire house to be more comfortable.
-
Keep ceiling fans running to recycle the warm air downward. The 100-watt energy consumption of a ceiling fan on "medium" is far more efficient than losing the warm air through your attic. Circulating this air downward makes use of the warm air as long as possible.
-
Make sure you keep a rolled towel or blanket next to the bottom track on sliding patio doors. Sliding doors are very inefficient and are an energy "loser". If you are still in the specification process, specify wood or triple insulated French doors with a high "R" rating.
-
Try setting your thermostat to a lower setting. Most health experts claim it's actually healthier to maintain a lower, winter setting. Try setting your thermostat at 64-66-degrees and wear a sweater and some sweat pants. Your furnace will work a lot easier and you'll save money!
|
