5 Ways to Winterize Your Home and Save Money

There are some very practical and effective methods for preparing your home for colder temperatures.  Even in warm climates where winter weather does not affect the heating of homes, these principles can help save on electricity that is associated with running heat pumps and air conditioners.

Get an Energy Audit
You can contact your utility company and find out about an energy audit.  These investigations can uncover the worst offending energy-wasters in your house so that you can fix them and save money.  A part of this energy audit will look at your thermostat and tell you whether or not you have the right kind and if it is programmable. You can perform a rudimentary audit by using a lighted incense stick which produces a flow of smoke.  Walking through your house and holding it near doors and windows will help identify places where air is penetrating and robbing you of money by higher energy costs.

Close Windows and Doors
At night, close drapes and blinds.  Make sure doors are closed and sealed tight.  This prevents cold night-time are from entering and altering the interior temperature of your home. Also, you can purchase window insulating kits from most major retailers.  These kits contain clear plastic which is attached around the frame of the window and then blown tight with a hair dryer.  This keeps unwanted air out and controlled temperature air inside.

Use Caulking to Reseal
Make use of exterior caulking around the outside of windows to seal them and keep air out.  Also, there are weather stripping materials that can do the same job.  The only draw-back is that they are more difficult to install and can deteriorate quicker than caulking.  Exterior caulking expands and contracts with temperature changes giving a more complete sealing effect. Look for other places that air is entering your home from the outside.  Most exterior doors have a built-in seal on the threshold that prevents air from entering when the door is closed.  But, these can become worn and ineffective over time.  Replace them as necessary to re-gain the advantage that they provided when they were new.

Seal Unused Fireplaces
If you have a fireplace and do not use it, then make sure that the damper is closed and that you have glass doors on the front of the opening to repel and air that travels down the chimney.  Chimney’s work well when there is a nice cracking fire that helps heat a house, but it can also work the other way by allowing colder air in from the outside.

Install Insulation
Many attics do not contain enough insulation to help keep heat inside of a home.  Or keep the cool air where it needs to be.  A check of the amount of insulation in your attic can help assess whether or not you should obtain more.
The blown-in insulation is best because it can be blow into areas that cannot be filled very easily by the pink fiberglass type of insulation.

Using these five suggestions can help you save hundreds of dollars per year on your heating and cooling bills.  If you have not taken the time to perform winterization of your home, do it today and start saving money.