Each month, Americans spend an average of $114.44 on electricity—but in winter, this can jump even higher! What causes high electricity and heating bills?
Often, it’s due to heat loss from the home. If your home isn’t insulated properly, heat can quickly escape from the house, meaning you’ll need to use more and more heat to warm your home.
If you’re trying to avoid sky-high energy bills each winter, it’s helpful to learn more about how insulating your home can reduce heat loss. If winter is coming and you’re dreading another season of high power bills, keep reading to find nine ways to reduce heat loss within your home.
1. Use Chimney Balloons
Does your home have a chimney? If so, you’re sure to love the comfort and heat it provides when lit, but what about when it’s not in use?
Many homeowners find that chimneys can be very drafty in winter, with cold air and wind blowing down the flute into your home. To reduce heat loss from your chimney, consider using a chimney balloon.
This is a durable, inflatable balloon that goes up into the chimney and blocks air passage from outside the chimney and into the home. They can be an effective way to keep out the chill, but be sure to remove it before lighting a fire.
2. Insulate Your Flooring
Often, homes can be cold due to the flooring. If your tiles or hardwood aren’t insulated properly, then cold air is going to come up into the home—making it very uncomfortable to walk on in bare feet!
A simple, although pricey, solution to this is to insulate your flooring. Or, you can also add under-the-floor heating systems, keeping your toes toasty warm on cold mornings.
Of course, if you’re on a tight budget, you might also find that a thick, large rug can help with providing insulation over cold floors.
3. Install Heavy Curtains
Are you noticing drafts coming in from your windows? This is common in older homes or when the window seals are no longer properly aligned with the home.
One solution to this is to hang heavy window curtains and keep them closed when you want to reduce heat loss. A heavy curtain fabric will create a natural barrier to cold air, preventing cold air from entering the room.
4. Add Window Stripping
Another easy solution to draft windows (or doors) is to add window stripping. These are long strips of adhesive material that will stick onto the window’s seals, blocking cold air, wind, or rain from coming into the home.
You can purchase them at any hardware store and they’re simple to install yourself.
5. Consider Window Tinting
Still struggling with heat loss in your home? If so, we recommend considering window tinting. Adding a gentle tint to your windows won’t stop the sun from streaming into your home, but it will create a more even, year-round temperature.
The benefits of home window tinting are many—your home will stay cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter, and it will be harder for people outside to look in, which can deter thieves. thieves and intruders.
6. Insulate Your Attic
If your home has an attic that’s not finished, you’re likely to be experiencing heat loss. If attics aren’t insulated, it’s very easy for heat to escape.
As you probably know, heat travels upwards, so heat from the home often is lost through gaps or drafts within the attic. If you finish your attic, you’ll not only reduce heat loss, but you’ll also gain more usable space within the home.
A finished attic is great for storage or use as a spare bedroom.
7. Keep the Garage Door Shut
When you come home each night, do you shut your garage door? If not, you should!
It not only keeps the home safer and stops birds and rodents from getting in, but it also reduces heat loss.
On cold days, icy air can easily get into your home through a garage door left open, so don’t take the risk. Also, if the door from your garage into your home isn’t sealed properly, heat will leak out, so consider adding weather-stripping to your mudroom or home’s entrance.
8. Add a Radiator Shelf
For homes that depend on radiators for heat, there’s an easy way to stop radiation heat loss—add a shelf. A radiator shelf is a shelf placed just above the radiator that effectively bounces heat outwards, instead of upwards.
This means heat produced by the radiator will be sent out into the room, not up. You can install a shelf yourself, making it an easy solution.
9. Make Sure Your HVAC System Is Working Correctly
Another issue that might impact heat loss within your home is your HVAC system. If the vents are blocked or not working properly, heat isn’t able to travel throughout the home.
It’s worth having your HVAC system serviced at least once per year, making sure it’s working properly.
Avoid Heat Loss With These Tips
Heat loss can be a major problem, especially in older homes, but these tips can help. To get started, walk through your home and take an audit of which rooms are the coldest, trying to work out the cause.
Then, try out some of the solutions above, making changes or repairs to your home to stop heat from escaping or coming in on cold days. It’s worth the effort, as you’ll soon enjoy lower heating bills and a more comfortable, cozy home!
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