When winter rolls around, many families start thinking of ways to stay warm without causing utility rates to skyrocket. Use these four tips to keep your house comfortable throughout the winter without causing a major spike in energy costs.
- Use the Right Curtains
The window treatments you choose can have a big impact on a home’s comfort level. Heavy, thermally-lined curtains can help reduce drafts and prevent heat from escaping through window glass. This is especially helpful in older homes that still have single-pane windows. On the other hand, allowing the sunlight to enter a room can really warm things up, so be willing to pull back those curtains on bright, sunny days.
- Seal Gaps Around Doors
This is another simple project most homeowners can take on. Properly sealing around doors and windows helps keep warm air inside and cold air out. Use caulk, weatherstripping or specially designed minimally expanding foam to quickly and easily cut back on drafts and cold spots in the house.
- Tune-Up the Heating System
Most HVAC systems will benefit from an annual inspection and tune-up. Heat pump maintenance Newport News VA can help increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your home’s heating unit, so you can stay warm and toasty all winter without worrying about a breakdown. Because of the potential for injury to you or damage to the system, this is generally not a DIY project.
- Install Radiant Flooring
Heat naturally rises, so when you heat the flooring, it makes the entire room feel warmer. Some types of radiant floor heating must be installed during new construction, but there are also options that can be easily retrofitted into an existing space. Access from the basement or a crawl space makes it a much simpler project.
Using curtains to trap heat, installing weatherstripping around doors can help a house feel warmer. Properly maintaining your heating system will help it to run better and minimize the chances of a breakdown.