How to Winterize Your Home @winterize-blog - Tumblr Blog

Investing in your home will save you money this winter

1. Beat the Draft(s) Amid severe doom and gloom in world economies, there is at least some light cutting through the darkness: folks are more interested in energy conservation than ever. Since winter is right around the corner, now is the time to make sure you'll save all you can. To make it easier, we present our tricks in order of easiest (and least painful) to most difficult and/or costly improvements. Worried about the draft? Not military in this case, but air flow. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, drafts can waste 5 to 30% of your energy use. Start simple and adopt that old Great Depression fixture (perhaps a symbol of a new depression?) -- the draft snake. Place a rolled bath towel or custom-made "snake" across the bottom of leaky doors and windows. Get the kids involved and decorate with googly eyes, felt tongues and the like. You can use any scraps of fabric -- even neckties -- and fill with sand or kitty litter for heft. Make sure drafts aren't giving your thermostat a false reading too, and read on for more advanced solutions.

2. Change Furnace Filters Yes it's easy to forget, but it's important to replace or clean furnace filters once a month during the heating season. Dirty filters restrict airflow and increase energy use. Here's a worry-saving tip: mark a monthly check on your calendar. Better, consider switching to a permanent filter, which will reduce waste and hassle. Did you know that disposable fiberglass filters trap a measly 10 to 40% of debris? Electronic filters trap around 88%, and are much better at controlling the bacteria, mold, viruses and pollen that cause illness and irritation. They cost $50 to $1,000 or more. Another good choice is a genuine HEPA filter (like the one pictured), which can remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles. HEPA filters are based on Department of Energy standards. But avoid "HEPA-like" filters, which can be vastly less effective.

3. Run Fans in Reverse Most people think of fans only when they want to be cool, but many ceiling units come with a handy switch that reverses the direction of the blades. Counterclockwise rotation produces cooling breezes while switching to clockwise makes it seem warmer by making an updraft that sends the warmer air pooled near the ceiling back into the living space. This can cut your heating costs as much as 10 percent.

4. Winterize Your A/C and Water Lines This one's really easy, and it will save you wear and tear on your cooling system, so it can function at tip-top shape the next time you need it. Simply drain any hoses and air conditioner pipes, and make sure you don't have excess water pooled in equipment. If your a/c has a water shutoff valve, go ahead and turn that off. Similarly, make sure any hoses are drained and stowed away neatly. Turn off exterior water spigots. It's also a good idea to seal any water leaks around the place.

5. Turn Down Your Water Heater While many conventional water heaters are set to 140 degrees F by installers, most households don't need that level, and end up paying for hot water that just sits around, slowly cooling. Lowering the temperature to 120 would reduce your water heating costs by 6 to 10%. Give it a try. Many people find that tweaking the dial can be addictive, and it's easy to reduce the temperature further to 115 or even lower. If you start to wonder why you need a tank at all, then you may be ready for a tankless water heater, or to go solar.

6. Install Storm Doors and Windows The simple act of installing a storm door can increase energy efficiency by 45 percent, by sealing drafts and reducing air flow. Storm doors also offer greater flexibility for letting light and ventilation enter your home. Look for Energy Star-certified models. Similarly, storm windows can make a huge difference when the cold wind starts blowing. It may be a pain, but it is well worth it to get them out of the shed or attic and put them up for the season -- and make sure they are all securely shut. They don't do much good if you leave them in the up position by mistake.

Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat.

~Author Unknown

7. Give Your Heating System a Tune-Up You probably already know that cars need periodic tune-ups in order to run their best. Well the same is true for heating equipment. Keeping your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted will reduce energy use, saving up to 5 percent of heating costs. The good news is many utilities offer free annual checkups by qualified technicians -- but you often have to call early, as HVAC crews get backed up once heating season starts. Some furnace manufacturers and dealers also offer free or discounted inspections.

8. Mind That Thermostat It's easy to forget to turn down the heat when you leave the building like Elvis, but doing so is one of the surest ways to save money. Most households shell out 50 to 70 percent of their energy budgets on heating and cooling, so why pay for what no one uses? For every degree you lower the thermostat, you'll save between 1 and 3% of your heating bill. Make it easier with a programmable thermostat; they are widely available for as little as $50, and the average family will save $180 a year with one.

9. Put Up Some Plastic For just a few dollars, pick up a window insulation kit at your local hardware or discount store. Don't worry -- properly installed, window plastic is essentially invisible. Adding a buffer against drafts and extra still air space can give a nice boost to your home's ability to hold heat. Save even more by hiring a pro to install a high-tech "low-e" film directly to the window glass.

10. Use an Energy Monitor Measure your way to savings with an energy monitor (pictured is the TED, The Energy Detective, which starts at $139). Such a device indicates household electrical usage in real time and projects your monthly bill. Research has found that such info leads consumers to reduce their electricity consumption significantly. In fact, according to the company you'll save 15 - 20% on each bill, which would amount to hundreds of dollars a year. By seeing exactly how much each appliance or activity costs, you'll start seeing easy ways to cut waste.

11. Use Caulking and Weatherstriping Simple leaks can sap home energy efficiency by 5 to 30% a year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. That means it pays to seal up gaps with caulking and weatherstripping. Take a close look at places where two different building materials meet, such as corners, around chimneys, where pipes or wires exit and along the foundation. Use the incense test: carefully (avoiding drapes and other flammables) move a lit stick along walls; where the smoke wavers, you have air sneaking in. And heating or cooling sneaking out. In another method, have someone on the outside blow a hair dryer around each window while you hold a lighted candle inside. If the candle flickers or goes out, you need to caulk or weather strip around the frame.

The only activity that will warm you twice is the making of firewood

Henry Ford

12. Put on a Sweater Make like Jimmy Carter and dress warmer for winter, even inside. Gone are the days (for most of us at least) when we can afford to lounge around in our underwear while it's frosty outside. Remember what we said about each degree on the thermostat costing you money? Roughly speaking, a light long-sleeved sweater is worth about 2 degrees in added warmth, while a heavy sweater adds about 4 degrees. So cozy up and start saving.

13. Boost Insulation It may not seem sexy, but insulation is one of the best ways to save energy and money at home. It can make a big difference to add more insulation between walls, and make sure your attic floor and basement ceiling are well covered.

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How to Winterize Your Home