As the days grow colder, it’s wise to start preparing your home for winter. Winterizing your home is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to keep warm when things get a bit chilly. Is your home ready for winter? There are lots of areas to look at as you are answering this question. Think of the top areas in your home that can lose heat when it’s cold. For instance, have you checked around the windows and doors, attics, crawlspaces, and basements? You should also check the fireplace openings and any space that can make you lose heat during the colder months. Consider these home winterization services.
Wall Insulation
This is one of the most important tasks to focus on when it comes to these home winterization services. If you are looking for ways to keep your energy bills low, you should invest in home insulation services. Did you know that almost a third of all the heat lost in uninsulated homes leaves through the walls? This is why the walls are a good place to start. By ensuring your walls are properly insulated, you will save lots of energy, and you will also enjoy a more comfortable interior.
When insulating your walls, you need to consider the type of walls you have. The majority of homes have a cavity or solid walls. Cavity walls generally have even patterns. In most instances, the bricks will be laid lengthways. If you have solid walls, bricks are likely to be in an alternating pattern. Some will be laid across the wall, so it’s possible to see smaller ends from the exterior.
It’s best to leave the insulation of cavity walls to professionals. They will inject the insulation material into the wall. They will also drill holes in the exterior walls and inject more insulation material before sealing them with cement. With solid walls, most professionals use rigid insulation boards that are fitted on the wall. Some also build stud walls packed with insulation material. On the exterior, a layer of insulation material is fixed to the wall and covered with cladding or plasterwork.
Caulking
Looking for a simple and effective way to stop cold-air filtration? Well, how about plugging up cracks, holes, and open seams on your home’s exterior? There are lots of high-quality caulks on the market. Most professionals recommend acrylic-latex caulk for these home winterization services. You can also ask whoever you are working with if they can use expanding-foam sealant. This is a great way to close all air-leaking gaps. As you do this, pay particular attention to all the areas near doors, windows, and hose faucets, and your siding overlaps your house’s foundation.
Hire an Electrician to Install Electrical Outlet Gaskets
While it might not seem possible, a surprising amount of cold air can enter through the spaces around your electrical outlets. Considering that even the modest-sized home has dozens of electrical outlets, there is probably lots of heat loss happening through the outlets. One of the easiest and most affordable ways of dealing with drafty outlets is to install form-rubber outlet gaskets. This is a simple process where the electrician removes the cover plate, places the gasket over the outlet, and replaces the cover. These home winterization services will restrict the passage of cold air and prevent you from losing heat.
Storm Window Installation
Does your home have insulated windows? If not, it’s a great idea to look into storm windows. Most old homes have single-pane windows that are terribly inefficient. They can make your rooms feel uncomfortable, cold, and very drafty. As you might imagine, this also means your heating system will be working overtime. Instead of just sealing these windows, you should install storm windows. These mount to the exterior of your windows. The idea is to provide an additional layer of protection against cold weather. When it starts getting warmer, you can simply remove the storm units and store them away for next winter. You can look into custom exterior shutters.
Weather Stripping Replacement
Over time, your weather stripping can be ripped, missing, or crushed. This makes it ineffective. As winter gets closer, you should inspect all your door and check the condition of the weather stripping. During the inspection, close the door and check if there are any air-leaking gaps to worry about. You should also take a peek under the door to see what’s happening. If there is sunlight coming through, you should either install a door sweep or raise the threshold. There are some tricks you can do to detect drafts. Find a smoldering stick of incense and pass it around the door. If there is a breeze, the smoke stream will start dancing. This will show you where the air is leaking in. If you find out that the stripping is broken, find a company to help you with weather stripping installation. These home winterization services should be done by professionals.
Insulated Window Treatments
Even if you insulate the spaces around your windows and caulk all cracks, the windows will still feel a bit cold during winter. To make things a bit warmer, you can cover your windows with thick insulated drapes or insulated blinds. This is quite effective, and it can even prevent heat from leaving your home. Your goal when winterizing your home should be both to prevent cold air from coming in and to prevent heat from leaving. Insulated window treatments will help you achieve both. There are companies that specialize in these home winterization services. Call them and ask for the best-insulated window treatments to buy.
Order a Heating System Inspection
This is one of the most important tasks among these home winterization services. You shouldn’t forget to order an HVAC repair and inspection. This is the appliance you will use the most during the cold winter months. As such, it’s wise to give it a detailed look before it’s too late. The first thing you should do is check the air filters. If you haven’t used the heating system for a while, chances are they have accumulated lots of dust and dirt. You should take them out and clean them, then leave them out to dry. Once they are totally dry, you can put them back in. Clean filters will improve your indoor air quality. They also reduce energy consumption. When your filters are clogged, your heating system will have to use lots of energy to deliver air to your rooms.
It’s a good idea to hire reliable HVAC home inspectors to inspect your system for you. Check that whoever you are working with is a licensed HVAC technician. You must also ensure that they are insured. An HVAC specialist will give your system a more thorough inspection to identify any areas that may give you problems during the winter. Once they are done, you can be sure that nothing will go wrong. If there are any faulty parts, you will have them replaced ahead of time. The early inspection also helps to ensure that any problems are spotted early before they become complicated and costly to fix. It’s advisable to get the heat pump inspected when you inspect your heating system. Don’t forget the water heater as well. You will need continuous hot water during the winter.
Roof Insulation
An uninsulated home can lose up to 25% of the heat produced through the roof. This is why you need to invest in insulating your attic, loft, and roof. These home winterization services are simple and effective when it comes to limiting heat loss and staying m. An insulation company can help you get the best out of your loft insulation. While it might seem like you will save money if you go the DIY route, chances are you don’t do the best job. Therefore, find professional roofers with lots of experience insulating attics, roofs, and lofts.
Mineral wool is one of the best materials to use when insulating your roof. There are several things you must consider when it comes to loft insulation. You will need to think about storage space and dampness. Fortunately, an experienced insulation company will know exactly how to go about things.
Add Reflectors to Your Radiators
In most instances, radiators are installed next to walls. This means only one side will be effective in transmitting heat to your room. The side that’s not facing the room will heat up the walls. This reduces the efficacy of your radiator. Fortunately, there’s something you can do to change this. You can purchase and install a radiator reflector on the wall behind your unit. As you might imagine, the purpose of a radiator reflector is to reflect heat away from the walls and back into the room. This increases the pace at which your room heats up. When coupled with a reflector, your radiator will perform its best, and heat wastage is greatly reduced.
Chimney Balloon Installation
Even if you manage to seal the rest of your home, if there is a chimney, you have another big hole to worry about. As such, you need to find ways of preventing the cold winds from entering your heated space. Therefore, as much as you may want to keep the chimney open so Santa can come in, you should find a way to close this space. There are several ways to go about it. One of the most effective ways is to use a chimney balloon. This is a balloon that inflates like a regular balloon. It serves as a barrier that prevents heat loss. Apart from that, it also creates an airtight seal within your chimney. If the chimney in your home doesn’t have a damper or it’s broken, you should definitely go shopping for a balloon.
Ground Floor Insulation
Do you live in a bungalow, house, or ground-floor flat? If yes, you should insulate your floor. The first thing you should think about is what type of floor you have. The majority of the newer home have floors made of concrete. You can insulate it when replacing it. Another alternative is to add insulation boards on top. On the other hand, older homes tend to have wooden floors. These can be insulated by lifting the floorboards and installing mineral wool insulation. To support it, you will need netting.
When you insulate under your floorboards, you can save up to $60 per year. This prevents heat from escaping through the ground. Looking for a quick fix? You can seal the gaps between the skirting boards and the floor. This is another great way to reduce drafts. Rugs and carpets can also make your home feel warmer. This means you won’t feel the need to crank the heating all the way up frequently. These home winterization services are quite simple and affordable but highly effective.
Tree Trimming
While most of the winterization techniques you’ll employ apply to the indoor environment, there are some outdoor changes you can make as well to keep warm. The first thing you should do is to go out and take a look at your surroundings. Are there any big branches that are growing toward your home? This can cause serious property damage during heavy winds and snow storms. You can end up with branches falling on your roof. These branches can be weighed down by snow until they can no longer support their weight. The best prevention move to make is to have them trimmed.
Once you are done trimming, you should consider planting a windbreak. Did you know that planting some conifer trees around your home can prevent heavy winds from blowing against it? They will act as a windbreak. You can also think of them as a way of insulating your yard. However, as you might imagine, this is more of a long-term plan. You can’t plant trees in winter and expect them to protect you. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it. The earlier you do it, the earlier they can grow and start serving their purpose.
These home winterization services will help you keep warm during the cold winter months. The best way to go about things is to come up with a checklist. Inspect your home and figure out everything you plan to do. You can go down the checklist ticking off the tasks you would have completed. This ensures you don’t forget anything. Preparations should start ahead of time. This will give you enough room to go for the quality. If the pressure of winter is already upon you, you’ll end up doing things in a hurry and may not get the best results. You should also remember to prepare for winter emergencies. For instance, if your area experiences a lot of blizzards, ice storms, or other harsh winter conditions, it’s crucial to have a backup power system in place. You should also remember to keep the contact details of smoke remediation and emergency roof services.
