James Carlson's Real Estate Blog

Is your home ready for winter?

A lot of people assume that their house is already energy efficient and that they don’t have to do anything to ensure they are nice and cozy for the coming winter months.  Well there are always things you can do that are simple which will make your house that much more comfortable during winter.  Even save you some money.

The first thing you can do and this might be the most important thing to do, is to make sure all the windows and doors are sealed off from the outside as much as possible.  When it gets cold outside the heat from you house will escape through small cracks or unsealed sections of doors and windows.  Trying to heat the outside environment with your house isn’t the best idea.  And your wallet will probably say the same thing. Here are some steps to find out if you have leaks or drafts in your window or doors.

–        The easiest thing to do is have someone stand outside with a bright light at night time.  Have yourself standing inside with no lights on. Have your friend shine the light on the door and have them follow the edges of the doors. If at any time you can see a light through the edges of the door, you have BIG crack or seal leak.   Same goes for your regular windows.

This is bad!

–        The first method is the simplest but it only shows you the biggest holes.  The second method is a bit slower but it helps you find very small drafts.  First you moisten your hand with warm water.  Then move your hand along the edges of doors and window trim.  Anytime you feel a cool breeze on your hand you might have a leak.

–        Now that you know you have a leak go buy some weather stripping or outdoor silicone seal and seal up those leaks.  Weather stripping and silicone seal will cost you anywhere from 5-25 dollars and it might save you hundreds during the winter. Here is an example of a simple and cheap type of weather stripping.

Buy this from any hardware store.

Second thing you can do is make your house smaller.  How you might ask? Well, all you have to do is go around to different areas of the house you don’t use very often and close all the vents in that room and the door.  This will make your furnace work less to keep the areas you do spend a lot of time in comfortable.  Don’t worry about the rooms where the vents are closed, they won’t turn into a freezer, but it will be slightly cooler than everywhere else.

Third, have your furnace cleaned before it gets cold. Usually the best time is mid to late fall. Having the furnace and venting system cleaned can save you a lot of money in the long run because it keeps your furnace running efficiently and keeps the heat exchanger in the furnace working less.  Build up from dust and other particles can cause the heat exchange in your furnace to run too long trying to heat up the air.  Also don’t forget to change the filter, you don’t want it all clogged up if you want good air flow.

Next, open up your blinds on sunny days.  Even during winter the sun still shines, so have it light up your house.  This will add warmth to your home in more ways than one.

I am sure you have winter clothing.  Wear it in the house.  If you’re b undled up you won’t feel the need to have the furnace running at full blast.  I’m not suggesting walk around in a parka, but socks would be my first choice, it is always nice to have warm feet.  Dress in thin layers, that way you are still comfortable and you can remove or add layers as you wish.

Sometimes you might feel extra chilly because you walked over cold hardwood. This might cause you to think the house isn’t warm enough.  Throw a rug over high traffic areas, then problem solved!

Cook at home! Don’t do take out or go to dinner and none of that microwave stuff either.  Using your kitchen stove and oven heats up the kitchen and as a result your home. If you want to save on your energy you can use a slow cooker instead of the stove.  It won’t help heat the house but it will keep costs down. Cooking will add humidity to house and humidity helps trap heat so the air will generally feel a little bit warmer.  You already saving money by not eating out, it is an added bonus that your house will benefit from it too.

There are so many things one can do to make their house better and more comfortable during the winter time and it is different for each person. I have given you just a few things that everyone can do to make their house warmer.  I want you to get the best out of your house and I want you to enjoy it as well.

So take a walk around and inside your house, figure out what you can do to make it more comfortable and what you can do to save yourself some money.

If you have other interesting ways to save in winter I would like to hear about them.