As winter causes each day to become colder than the last it is natural for us to turn our thoughts toward things such as heating our homes. As we think about heating our dwellings, the thought of an increase in expenses also naturally comes to mind. It costs money to heat a home and sometimes that can be a much larger expense than we would like. For this reason taking time to weatherize your house is not a bad idea. Not only is weatherization a good idea to cut down heating costs, but the following steps will also help cut down on the costs of keeping your home cool in warm weather as well.
10. Test your Thermostat
When it comes to climate control there is probably no device that is as important to this job as your thermostat. A thermostat that is only a couple of degrees off can actually cost you a lot of money and one that is off by several degrees can cost you a small fortune. For this reason its important to test your thermostat at least once during the onset of winter and once during the onset of summer. An easy way to do this is to get a thermometer set up next to or near the thermostat itself and see if the two read the same. If the thermostat seems to be off then you should call a repair person as quickly as possible.
9. Clean the Air Ducts
Most homes are heated and cooled by some form of central air unit. This unit creates hot or cold air and then delivers it to the rest of the house by blowing it through a series of air ducts. As this air travels along the duct it can be slowed down by debris along the airs path and this causes the fans to work harder to get the air through the duct. The problem with cleaning air ducts is that it can require special tools and sometimes you need to call a professional so this is something that only really needs to be done once a year or so.
8. Dress for the Weather
Dressing for the weather is one of those common sense ideas that no one ever seems to take seriously because they really don’t understand the impact it has. How many times have you or someone you know felt like it was a little cold inside and turned up the heat? Now how often have you or someone you known been dressed in shorts and a t-shirt when you noticed it was cold and so turned up the eat? While it may seem kind of funny, people do this all the time. If the temperature seems a bit low the first thing you should do is put on warmer clothes before turning up the heat.
7. Keep Other People Away from the Thermostat
Whether it is children, family or visitors, other people love to change the thermostat without bothering to let anyone know about it and this can cost you money. The best way to handle making sure the thermostat isn’t fiddled with is buying a new one with a coded panel, but that can cost a bit of money. The next best step is to simply check it when there are other people in the home.
6. Uncover all your air ducts
Air ducts never seem to be put in a good place. When air ducts are placed in the floor it seems to be right where you want to put your couch. When air ducts are in the wall it seems that’s right where you want to place your entertainment center. The problem this creates is that a covered air duct is not near as efficient as one that isn’t and this can force the heater or air conditioning unit to try to put out more hot or cold air. As you begin taking weatherization steps take some time and make sure that every air duct is uncovered.
5. Invest in Energy Saving Light Bulbs
Energy saving light bulbs may seem like they don’t have anything to do with saving you money on your heating bill but they do. As winter deepens, we lose daylight hours and so begin to use more artificial lighting and this costs more money. The up-front cost of energy efficient light bulbs may seem kind of hefty but they will help cut down your electricity costs during the winter.
4. Repair Cracks in Walls, Ceilings, and Floors
Every home will eventually show signs of its age and cracks are just one sign of this. Some people believe cracks add to the character of a house but they also add to the expense as well. Even small cracks can often allow air to both escape the home and come into the home and this will add additional work to your heating system. If you are not in the position to afford professional repairs a good idea is to layer some insulation over the crack and cover it with plastic. If the insulation is to unsightly you can always cover it with a poster or piece of furniture if need be.
3. Check Weather Stripping and Thresholds
Weather stripping is the stuff that is lined around the edge of your windows and doors to block the flow of air from both inside and outside the home. Thresholds are generally found at the bottom of a door and window frame and serve the same purpose as weather stripping. At least twice a year you should go through and check every door and window to make sure that its stripping and thresholds are in good repair. If the stripping or threshold is not in good repair they are generally inexpensive and easy to replace and should be as soon a possible.
2. Increase Air Circulation
A lot of people think that the fan pumping air through the ducts creates enough air circulation but it actually doesn’t While these fans do help with air circulation the air they pump out tends to collect near where it entered the room and stay there without really moving. This effect means that there are parts of the house that are not getting as much heat or cool air and can cause the heater to keep working longer than it needs to. By investing in a couple of fans you dramatically increase the air circulation in your home and get a more stable temperature throughout the entire dwelling.
1. Put Plastic over Windows
More heat escapes through the surface of your windows than through any other means. Windows tend to be large and are made out of materials that transfer heat and cold very easily. For this reason one of the single most important things you can do to increase the efficiency of your home is ot put plastic covering over all of your windows. You can find kits to do this at most hardware stores, but if you are short on cash you can accomplish this simply by cutting trash bags to shape and using them in lieu of a kit.