That good ol' Midwest winter is here and in full force. While there is not much we can do about it getting colder and colder outside, you can control how warm you stay inside. These are a few simple and very cheap steps that Weis Comfort Systems can help to keep your home warm inside and lower your energy bill.
1. Caulking your windows
Caulk is a material used to seal air leaks in windows, gaps, and joints inside the home. Caulking can be used on gaps and holes that are less than an inch wide between stationary building components and materials. Before caulking, you will need to detect the leaks and assess your ventilation needs to ensure adequate indoor air quality. Making sure that your home does not have areas that allow cold air to come through will let the room to get warmer faster, so your furnace does not have to work so hard.
2. Insulating your doors
Insulating tape is an excellent investment for keeping a space warm. If your home has cracks and gaps, fill them in. Filling in the gaps around windows and doors can help you save on your heating bills. Fitting it is very simple too, just make sure it fits snugly. Having the front door sealed will make a big difference when it comes to lowering your energy bill. The front door already has a lot of traffic so making sure that the door is sealed in between opening and closing is very important in keeping the space warm.
3. Getting heavier curtains
Insulated curtains can be an essential part of every home because they add a lot to the overall comfort of the home. Especially during hot summers and frigid winters. Some of the best curtains have the ability to keep warm air from penetrating the house and help tremendously with maintaining a room temperature. Saving energy with your curtains is a viable option as they can create a vapor barrier that prevents moisture from accumulating and, for the cold season, transfer the heat back into the room.
4. Put a rug on the floor
Wooden floors may look lovely, but they can also let heat escape from right under your feet. Putting down a warm rug covers up the gaps and ensures your toes stay toasty. Floors account for as much as 10% of heat loss if they're not insulated, according to the National Energy Foundation (NEF). Rugs and blankets can help mitigate this and have the bonus of keeping your feet warm. Rugs also add another layer of insulation to the floor by trapping cool air underneath and preventing it from seeping up and cooling the room.
5. Turning your ceiling fan on in the winter??
High ceilings are lovely to have at home. But they can also raise your heating bills as warm air rises to the top of the room. If you have a ceiling fan, change the direction of the blades. You can set it to push the air downward by reversing the flow of the fan. Ceiling fans warm air back in the room and will heat the room more evenly. Having the ceiling fan on will ease the effort your heater needs to keep the space at a comfortable temperature.
6. Air vents or radiators
We all know that radiators are not the prettiest to look at, at all sometimes. To cover them up, many people use furniture to hide the air vents or screens over the radiators. Doing this will only obstruct the airflow, making the furnace work much harder. One trick that will help to hide it while not hindering airflow is to paint the radiator the same color as the wall or the flooring, so they fade into the background.
Time to start up the fireplace
Fireplaces are an excellent source of heat and can warm a room in a matter of minutes. Snuggling up with a cup of hot tea and a good movie in front of a fireplace is a relaxing way to spend a cold winter evening. Fireplaces do have their drawbacks and their own dangers too though. Similar to air leaks in drywall and unfinished attic space or a fireplace damper left open heated air will escape and cold air to funnel into your home. When you are not using your fireplace make sure that you close it off and the damper is in the closed or winter position. Also putting a fireplace cover on the front can help with those little drafts that may come through.
As you can see, there are many ways to keep your home warm during the winter. These methods are cost-efficient and effective in keeping your space warm and staying warm for longer. Also, when your home is staying warmer for longer, your furnace will not have to work so hard to heat the spaces and rooms. Missouri is known to be a cold state during the winter, don't wait until its too late to find out ways of saving energy for your home and keeping everyone in the household nice and toasty. Find out how you can save on heating bill by using our energy saving calculator. Or Call Weis Comfort Systems today and let our staff help you find ways to lowering your monthly energy bill.
