Winterizing Your Home
Attics and Basements, Featured, Green Home, Heating and Cooling, Insulation, Interior by Danny Lipford
Keeping the heat up and your energy bill down
With the colder months here many Americans are looking for ways to save money on the rising cost of heating their homes. In addition, this is also the time of year when homeowners may want to take a look at some unwanted visitors who can do some real damage to areas of the home you may never see.
Sealing Up And Insulating the Home
The main goal of sealing up and insulating your home is simple – keep the warm air in and the cold air out! In the average home, if you added up all the cracks and gaps, the area would be approximately three square feet! Just imagine the amount of cold air that can come in through those spaces and of course the amount of warm air that can sneak out. Check out the following areas where the biggest losses can occur:
Attic Insulation
Since warm air rises, it goes without saying that if you don’t have enough insulation in the attic, your heating bills are quite literally going through the roof. One of the most common and effective ways of saving heat is by making sure you have enough. If you’re not sure, go in your attic and see if the ceiling joists are visible. If they are, you need more. Also, different areas of the country require differing R-values of insulation, which translates into a thickness of the insulation. Check with your local home center, and they will be able to advise you on the recommended R-value for your area.
Sealing Up Cracks
Cracks around windows, on perimeter walls and at electrical outlets that are located on an exterior wall can create a tremendous leak of warm air out and cold air in. Caulk any gaps and seal up cracks and holes to provide a more airtight envelope around your home. Also, check your weather stripping, and replace or adjust any that is worn or doesn’t fit tightly.
Inefficient Windows
While this is a time of year that many homeowners choose to replace old windows that rattle and the wind blows right through, purchasing new insulated glass windows is expensive and requires some planning. http://www.dannylipford.com/diy-home-improvement/design-and-decor/choosing-the-right-windows/ A terrific interim solution is to install window insulation kits that contain plastic sheeting to cover the window. They are very easy to install, can completely insulate the window, and costs only about $3 per window.
Unwanted Guests
In the summer the unwanted guests include ants and in-laws while in the winter it’s rodents and in-laws, but all year long the worst uninvited guests are termites. This is an excellent time of year to have an annual termite inspection to make sure that, if any termites are present, they are eliminated COMPLETELY. According to the National Pest Management Association, damage caused by termites is upwards of two billion dollars.
Getting the Most of Your Heating System
Now that you have insulated your home and made sure that there are no critters gnawing away at your foundation, the next step is to make sure you are getting the best possible performance from your current heating system. One of the first steps is to have your heating system serviced by a professional to make sure it is operating at maximum efficiency. It is also a good idea to change your air filter at least once a month.
Another way to maximize on your current heating systems is to replace your existing thermostat with a computerized setback or progammable thermostat. By setting it to fit your daily routine, you can be sure that your home is warm when you want it to be, and not when you are way from home.
7 Comments on “Winterizing Your Home”
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September 15th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Sealing a home may not be easy, but the biggest problem people over look is something everyone remembers at the holidays when they have to get those decorations out of the attic.When that cold hits you that money loss.Sealing that alone can save up to 40% or higher.Would you put up a 1/4 in of plywood for your front door?
No well make a simple foam board box with foil tape or buy one of the many systems out there.
John Cannamela
http://www.infraredsurvey.com
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:11 am
I am doing a story for my school newspaper about winterizing your home and it would be great if you could answer a few questions for me.
1. When is the right time to start Winterizing your home?
2. About what percentage of Americans actually winterize their homes?
3. What percautions should be taken when winterizing your home?
4. What are the main points of the house that should be winterized?
5. What main equipment do you need in order to winterize your home?
6. Is the whole winterizing process done on the home itself?
7. What’s a healthy temperature for your home during the winter?
January 15th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Travis here goes
1 any time remember heat loss is heat gain in the summer
2 Don’t know for sure
3 don’t seal anything that needs to breath like weep holes
4 attic doors-outlets-ductwork-door gaskets-windows
5 caulk-duct tape-vapor barrier material-gasket material
6 yes and don’t forget you have to be aware of energy saving practices like tstat adjustment or light usage.
7 68-74 @ 40% RH
Hope this helped
John cannamela
http://www.infraredsurvey.com
more examples on my site
January 19th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I caught the tail-end of Danny’s piece about creating a “foam-board box” to enclose the attic stairs. I was hoping to find either that clip or written instructions on how to make the foam-board box. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
January 29th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
1st get some blue foam board
2nd get in the attic-close the door and measure how hi the folded ladder extends through the hole and then measure across the width of the stairs-draw the shape and cut the board-make sure the side are measured from the ceiling or floor of attic. then duct tape the box–make a handle from cord-through the body of the largest part then save energy
November 9th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Does it benefit heating costs to insulate floors above a basement? and if it does, what type of insulation should you use?
January 11th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
INSIDE WALL THERMOSTAT IS VERY MUCH CONTROLED BY WINDY CONDITIONS. AS A WOMAN HOW DO I FIX THAT MYSELF?
THE WALL IS BETWEEN MY KITCHEN AND MY DINING ROOM IN THE CENTER OF THE HOUSE ITSELF.
THANK YOU,
GLORIA