Keep Your Home Warm This Winter

Brrrrrr! It’s cold outside—maybe inside too! In the bitter winter months, heating your home can be expensive, which may prompt you to look for cheaper alternatives. While everyone knows that curling up underneath a blanket is a great way to warm up, there are many other ways to heat not only yourself up, but your whole home as well. We’ve compiled some of our favorite ways to heat a home in the winter without spending a fortune on repairs. ERA wishes you a wonderful winter season, and we hope these tricks will keep you warm during this time of year!

Insulation Tips

Retaining heat is crucial in maximizing heating and energy efficiency and reducing the amount of money spent on warming a household. There are many places in a home that can leak heat, from the floor to the windows. No matter where you live, some heat is bound to escape the confines of your home. However, how much warmth escapes into the chilly winter air is up to you! Here are some of the areas in your home most likely to leak warm air or let cold air inside and how to fix them.

Windows

Windows are a versatile tool in the winter, and have the ability to warm and cool a home. Heat is generated when natural light enters your home during the daytime, and it’s completely free! However, leaving a window uncovered during the night will allow heat to escape from your home as the glass is not a great insulator. A solution to this issue would be to purchase and install insulated glass panes, but they are expensive. As an alternative, using curtains or blinds to block a window during the night will trap more heat, keeping your home at a comfortable temperature while you sleep.

Additionally, there could be small gaps around the window, creating drafts that leak heat or bring cold air inside. To identify a draft, hold your hand next to the area you think is leaking air. It is easier to identify this way on a windy day, so an alternative option is to light a candle or match near the window. If the flame flickers, it indicates that there is a draft leaking air. Even if the draft does not feel significant, it is smart to seal it as these gaps bring down your home’s temperature. To seal these small leaks, use caulk or a window film. 

Doors

Unlike windows, many doors come with gaps on the edges to prevent it from jamming on its frame. However, this means that there are areas for air to escape or enter your home. Weatherstripping your doors is a good solution for this. Weatherstripping is a thin piece of material that is placed around the door frame to create a tighter seal with the door itself. Weatherstripping comes in a variety of materials, and researching which one is the best fit for your home will improve its effectiveness. Another way to prevent drafts is to install a door sweep at the bottom of your door. This is a device that extends across the bottom of external doors, sealing the large gap that air passes through.

Floors

The ground underneath our feet absorbs large amounts of heat. Because of this, the amount of insulation underneath a home will impact the temperature inside of it. Both the foundation and crawl space are places where warm air can leak out, and without proper insulation, a significant amount of heat will escape. A long-term fix to this issue, although pricey, is to install insulation materials in these spaces, which will reduce future heating costs for many years. There are many different types of insulation, and some are more effective in specific climates. Speaking to a knowledgeable professional or conducting research before adding insulation underneath will prevent future issues such as mold growth and reduced energy efficiency.

There are also ways to insulate your floors from the inside of your home. A simple and effective way to trap more heat indoors is to position area rugs in places that cover large amounts of flooring. These rugs block drafts and reduce the amount of cold air from seeping through the floor. Thicker rugs are more effective than thinner ones, with materials like wool or leather providing extra insulation. With thinner rugs, placing a layer of cardboard or newspaper underneath can help trap some extra warmth. 

Other Tips & Tricks

Adding insulation to a home isn’t the only way for it to retain its heat. There are countless other ways to warm your home and yourself up, from wearing slippers to buying a space heater. These are great ways to stay warm, but are obvious solutions. In this section, we want to discuss some of the more obscure or DIY options to warm a home.

Ventilation

There are ways to boost the efficiency of your ventilation to ensure that the heat it generates is effectively distributed. Smart thermostats help with this, having the ability to be remote controlled and programmed to your daily schedule. Some of these smart thermostats also send energy usage reports that can be used to make adjustments in the amount of time your HVAC system is running, increasing cost effectiveness. There are many different smart thermostat options on the market, so choose one that suits your preferences and your home.

Additionally, replacing the furnace filters on your HVAC system will positively affect its efficiency. A dirty filter restricts the air flowing through the vents, forcing a furnace to work harder and use more energy. Replacing the filter every 2-3 months will keep your system running smoothly. Some homes may have air ducts that have dampers, which are internal flaps that control the airflow. These ducts have handles with markings indicating where to position it depending on the season, ensuring that your HVAC is running efficiently.

However, not all air flaps are meant to be closed. A common myth is that shutting a vent in an unused room will save you money and energy. Your home’s HVAC system is catered towards its size and design, and while closing air vents will redirect air elsewhere, the system will overwork to heat the rooms with closed vents. In addition to making heating your home more expensive, closing vents builds pressure that can damage ducts and create leaks.

Leaving Doors Open

Many people enjoy taking long showers, filling the bathroom with steam and heat. The bathroom fan ventilates this steam and heat, directing the air outdoors. A way to harness this heat, if possible, is to leave the door open while you shower, allowing the warmth to seep into other rooms of your home. Turn off the fan in the bathroom as well, preventing the warm air from being ventilated outside.

There are also doors in the kitchen that can be opened to release heat. When cooking in the kitchen, you are already paying for gas or electricity, so why not make the most of it? Cracking the oven or dishwasher open after they finish being used will warm you and your home up. Be safe if deciding to put this into practice though, as these appliances are extremely hot and can burn you or others if touched. Also make sure to turn off the appliances before opening them.

DIY-sulation

There are ways to insulate areas of your home without breaking the bank, or even having to purchase anything at all. The first DIY insulation tip is to cover windows in bubble wrap. While it will worsen your view outside the window, the air pockets within the bubble wrap create a barrier between the cool external air and the warm internal air. Another great way to cheaply insulate is to use foam pipe sleeves, which will prevent your pipes from leaking heat and freezing. Doing so will also increase your water temperature and cause it to heat up faster!

Did you know that your electrical outlets and light switches allow heat to escape your home? Despite being small in size, there are often many outlets and switches in a home, leading to a lot of uninsulated space. Foam gaskets can be installed behind the outlet or switch, sealing up the gap. Performing a project like this may seem minuscule, but it can save you a considerable amount of energy costs.

We at ERA First Advantage Realty hope that you are staying warm this winter, and that some of these tips can help you save money on heating this season! For more blogs discussing home design, security, and more, click here!

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