6 Cost Effective Upgrades to Winterize Your Home

With the cold weather here in full force you should have already made some changes to your everyday life but have you made changes to your home to ensure that you are staying warm? A drafty home is not only uncomfortable, but costly. Fortunately, there are several ways you can winterize your home without spending a great deal of money to make it more comfortable and energy efficient.



Install Windows with Low-E Glass
Low-E glass is designed to minimize ultraviolet and infrared light without affecting the amount of visible light that passes through. This gives them high emissity, which is the ability to radiate energy. As such, they have tremendous insulating properties, and will help you reduce your heating costs significantly.

Caulking around Windows and Doors
Even after installing Low-E Retro Teck Windows, you may still be losing air from around their openings. To check, light a candle and place it near your window. If it flickers even slightly, you are experiencing air loss. Caulk openings tightly and then recheck to make sure there are no areas you have missed. The right caulking can make a tremendous difference when it comes to keeping warm air in and cold air out.

Add Attic Insulation
A great deal of heat is lost through your attic, since warm air rises. Adding a layer of insulation to your attic is one of the best ways to prevent heat loss, and is something that is also very inexpensive to do.

Install a Programmable Thermostat
A programmable thermostat will allow you to lower the temperature inside your home during the day while you are at work. Turning down your thermostat a few degrees during the day can allow you to save as much as $20 to $30 per month on heating, which means your new thermostat would pay for itself the first winter it’s put into use.

Replacing Furnace Filters
Dirty furnace filters can clog up your system and cause it operate less efficiently. A new furnace filter only costs a few dollars, but will keep your heating unit working properly, while also preventing future repairs. Ideally, your filters should be changed on a monthly basis, and your cold air return should also be vacuumed at the same time.

Prevent Drafts from Underneath Doors
To prevent drafts from coming in from underneath your doors, install a sweep on the bottom of them. Door sweeps can be purchased at a hardware store rather inexpensively, and take relatively little time to install.

These ideas won’t cost much money, and may even pay for themselves over time. Try one or more of them today to see the difference they can make in the way your home feels.

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