The Best Way to “Winterize” Your House This Winter
Is your home ready for winter this year? Taking simple, inexpensive steps to winterize your home will provide you with energy savings and cost savings during the winter months. It will also make your home more comfortable as outside temperatures drop.
Start with the easiest, least expensive tasks that will make the most difference in your home’s energy consumption. Sealing air leaks reduces the amount of hot air escaping your home and the amount of cold air coming in through cracks. Doors and windows are the most inefficient part of your home because of drafts. For considerable energy savings, install weather-stripping around all exterior doors so that they make a tight seal with the frame when closed. To reduce drafts through the gap between the door and the floor, place door sweeps at the foot of every exterior door. Check around windows and doors for leaks and seal the leaks with caulking. For large cracks, spray foam insulation may be appropriate.
Sealing leaks is important, but some heat still escapes through walls by conduction. Ensuring that your wall insulation is up to par will make a difference. Adding high R-value insulation will keep more heat in, more cold air out and your home more comfortable. Adding insulation to an existing wall is a little more difficult than adding it when the wall goes up, but well worth it for the cost savings. Loose fill or foam insulation is the best option for existing walls. If your home is an older home or not well insulated, adding the extra R-value to your walls will pay for itself in energy savings. There are also attractive government grants available to assist with the cost of your insulation project. Be sure to check out www.actionplan.gc.ca/homes.
It is common knowledge that turning down the thermostat at night and while away from home saves significant energy. Even if you usually remember to adjust the thermostat manually, getting a programmable thermostat can save energy. Program the thermostat to have the heater go off half an hour before you typically go to bed. Likewise, set it to go on half an hour before you wake up in the morning and off again shortly before you leave home.
Winterizing your home will help you save money and remember the EcoEnergy Retrofit grant program. This program offers homeowners incentives of up to five thousand dollars for energy saving home improvements.
Contact Langton Heating and Air Conditioning http://www.langtonmechanical.com/ or (905) 321-9644 for more information on ways to save energy this winter!
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