The warm summer nights are now behind us in most parts of the country, and Jack Frost is nipping at our nose. It’s the season when heating costs can skyrocket if you aren’t prepared. That means winterizing your home. Here are some tips to help make sure you’re not throwing your dollars to the cold winter winds when you weatherize:
Stopping the drafts
Over time, gaps can occur under doors due to aging and warping wood. If you can replace everything properly, that’s great. But if you can’t afford a huge fix, you can help stop the drafts by simply rolling up a bath towel under a drafty door. If you’re feeling crafty, or have kids, you can even make draft snakes with googly eyes.
Change your furnace filters
It’s easy to overlook, but necessary when you start to weatherize your home. After all, you change the air filter on your car to help keep it maintained. It’s the same for the furnace filter. The nice thing about the furnace filter is that you only need to clean or replace it once a month. You also can purchase HEPA filters, which can remove at least 99.97 percent of airborne particles.
Check your ceiling fans
If you have ceiling fans, an easy adjustment is to change the direction of the blades. By switching your blades to move clockwise, it will make it warmer due to the warm air rising, while having the blades go counterclockwise makes it cooler. This may sound like a huge hassle, but most fans come with a tiny switch to change the direction of the rotation, making this a great way to save up to 10 percent in heating costs.
Storm doors and windows
The installation of storm doors and windows can save about 45 percent during the winter months. The hassle of installing them each winter may be a slight pain, however, it is definitely worth having them to help seal drafts and reduce airflow. Not only do they help reduce heating costs, they are great for allowing light into your home without closing it up like a cave.
Window plastic
If you don’t have the means to buy storm windows, you can take advantage of a simple, affordable fix. Window plastic can be purchased from your local hardware store or some discount stores. This plastic clings to your window frame to help reduce incoming drafts.
These are just a few of the cost saving ideas, but it’s a definite start to help fight against that frightful weather outside.