7 Ways to Prevent Heat Loss in Your Home This Winter
Winter is coming and in many places it is already here. If you are a homeowner then you are probably always looking for ways to help prevent heat loss in your home and cut down on utility bills. The more ways you find to do this, the more energy and money you will save.
There are many ways to reduce heat loss in your home and we are going to look at 7 ways that are not only pretty easy to do but also fairly inexpensive as well.
Windows Â
If you have lived in your home for a while or if you have purchased an older home with the original windows, there is bound to be some draftiness around the windows and this means a high likelihood of heat loss. Although replacing drafty windows with the newer energy efficient window is an option, for many the cost is too much, especially in todayâs budget minded economy.
For just a few dollars you can solve this problem in other ways. Here are two simple methods you can use. First, you can buy Window Insulation Kits which consist of plastic shrink film and double faced tape. Apply the tap around the outer edge of the window frame, stick the plastic file to the tape and then use a hair dryer to shrink the film so that it is tight. Simply cut away any excess plastic and youâre done. This can increase the R-Value up to 90%.
Also, concerning your windows, using quilted curtains to cover your drafty windows, will not only cut down on the heat loss and draftiness, they will also help the room to stay warmer. Many people who use shades on their window can install curtains over the windows while leaving the shades in place. In the summer, simply take down the curtains and leave the rod to make an easy transition during the seasons.
There is nothing like sitting in front of a warm fire burning in the fireplace of your home on a cold winter night. Many people have a screen covering the opening and unless you wait until the fire burns completely out, the fireplace damper needs to stay open for safety purposes. This means if you go to bed before the fire burns out and the damper is left open all night, warm air from inside your home will be pulled up the chimney and escape outside your house.
Even with the damper completely closed some air can still escape because most dampers do not seal out the air entirely.
One of the best and easiest ways to save energy and reduce heat loss in this situation is to install a set of âAirtightâ fireplace doors to the opening. With these doors, the gaskets around the frame seal the door to the fireplace face and keep air from leaking in or out. Plus the doors look great and the glass still lets the heat from the fire come into the home. You will not have to worry if the fire is still burning when you go to bed because even after the fire burns out and the damper is left open, the doors seal off the opening so no heat loss occurs.
Electrical Outlets and Switches
Count up the number of electrical outlets and switches you have in your home and if you have air leaks around the majority of them then you are in for some heat loss problems. There are two simple solutions for this problem and you can easily take care of this yourself. First you can try the foam outlet sealers or gaskets that fit over your existing outlets and switches. They will cover up the gaps between the edge of the drywall and the outlet boxes and fit in nicely behind the outlet and switch covers. The result is a perfect airtight seal that reduces heat loss in one of the most common areas in your home.
Another option you can use either alone or in conjunction with the outlet sealers is insulated foam that comes in cans and can be sprayed into the gaps around the outlet boxes and then trimmed off with a utility knife. Spray Foam Insulation will come with a long tube adapter that will fit into the can that will make it easy for you to control the amount of foam you apply into the gaps.
Concrete Block Sill Plates and Rim Joist
Just go down into your basement or crawl space and run your hand along the wood sill plate the rests on top of the concrete block or poured foundation walls and also along the outside rim joists that rest on top of the sill plate and below the floor. There is a good chance you will feel air leaks in these areas and that means heat loss. The simple solution to solve this problem is to buy some good acrylic latex caulk and run a bead of caulk along all the edges where the plate meets the block and where the joists meet the plate and the floor and of course anywhere else that you might feel air infiltration.
This is a given. If you do not have enough insulation in your attic, not only is your home going to not heat as efficiently as it should you will also be prone to more heat loss. If your home is older and you did have insulation sprayed into the attic when it was built, then you need to check the depth of the insulation to see if it is still energy efficient. Go up into the attic and take a yard stick with you and then simply place the yard stick into the insulation between the trusses or ceiling joists, and measure the depth of the insulation. Â On the average around if your insulation is 12 to 18 inches deep then you have an R value of about R-30 to R-38 which is fine for most areas. However if you live in a cold climate and the insulation is below 10 inches deep, then it would be a good idea to add some more.
Here again, you can do the job yourself by renting a blower and buying the material and although it can be a pretty messy job, you will save about half the cost of what an insulation company will charge you to do the job. If you are going to hire someone to do it for you, make sure you get 3 bids and ask for references.
Check Cabinet Toekick Register Covers
You would not believe how much heat loss there is around the register covers that are attached to the toekicks of cabinets in your home. When the duct work is installed prior to the cabinets being installed it is of the utmost importance to make sure the metal boot that the register cover is going to fit into, comes out flush with the front of the toekick hole that is cut out for the register. If this does not happen, the air coming out of the boot will leak under the cabinets and the register cover will have no control over it.
If you have this problem, then you need to either have a heating person come out to your home and make up and extension that fits into the existing boot and also allows your register cover to fit inside of it while allowing it to open and close with ease. This will then give you back control of the amount of heat that comes into the room, stop the heat from getting trapped under your cabinets and will reduce the heat loss and save you money.
Detecting Leaks and Drafts and Consider an Energy Audit
Believe it or not, more and more companies that specialize in performing an energy audit are popping up all over the place. Are these legitimate companies that you want to hire? If is worth paying one of these companies up to $400.00 to perform and energy audit? Can and energy audit help detect leaks and drafts in places you would not have thought of thus helping you to reduce heat loss and save energy and money? Yes, yes and yes!
A certified company that specializes in energy audits uses sophisticated equipment and is trained to use that equipment to seek out all areas of your home where heat loss, leaks and drafts exist. You will then end up with a very detailed report showing you all of the areas of your home that are the prime energy loss areas and you can then either take care of making the upgrades yourself or hire someone to do some of the work for you.
Saving energy, cutting down on heat loss and doing whatever you can to reduce your heating bills, will not only keep you comfortable this winter, but will also save you money in our current budget minded economy.
Rick Maselli
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