Well, we have had nothing but a sheet of ice covering North Texas for the past 4 days now. The city has all but shut down. Not snow. Ice. 2 inches of black ice is coating our street as I type and we are not looking at it melting for at least another day. Luckily, we had a home energy check-up last month with Reliant and learned a few things to help winterize our home. We have definitely noticed the difference!
How to Winterize Your Home
Whereas some of the tips we learned were easy for us to see and notice once it was pointed out, a few of the others were not things we would have thought about. Overall, it was pretty simple to make a few basic improvements in order to feel a large difference in our home.
- Weatherstripping – We knew there were huge gaps in the doors, but had simply not bought the weatherstripping we needed. After our home energy check-up, and making sure we knew exactly what type we needed, this was the first thing we picked up at The Home Depot. (Notice the pink/purple in the pictures below representing air coming through). We were able to fill the gaps and eliminate the air leakage both in and out. We noticed a considerable difference… especially in our kitchen which catches the Northern winds off the lake. You should check your windows too!
- Insulate Attic Doors – We have an access door to our attic in our upstairs gameroom. The type of door where you pull it open and the ladder folds down. Well, what we did not realize is the amount of air that comes in through that access door. The solution? Add a piece of foam board under the steps and weatherstripping around the moulding. Or, there are tents made to fit over these types of doors to insulate and seal the area.
- Clean Ducts – Dirty ducts can clog up your heating system and make it work harder. Make sure your return vents are clean and your system is in good working order. Also be sure to keep the air filter clean and the coils clean (rinse outside unit with a hose as it gets dirty).
- Electrical Outlets – This was one of those things we knew, but never thought about. A few of the electrical outlets, again on the North side of the house, did not have insulation around them. Therefore, it was suggested that we use a spray foam around the outlet in order to eliminate leakage around it as well. Same suggestion for areas where plumbing fixtures come into the home.
- Close Chimney Flue – Again, we knew this. What we were unaware of was that our flue seemed to be broken. So, even though we had it closed, it was still partially opened. This left another area where the cold winds could get into the home, plus left the chimney open for critters to come in. This was not fun to hear! Definitely had to get that fixed!
- Insulate Attic Doors – We have an access door to our attic in our upstairs gameroom. The type of door where you pull it open and the ladder folds down. Well, what we did not realize is the amount of air that comes in through that access door. The solution? Add a piece of foam board under the steps and weatherstripping around the moulding. Or, there are tents made to fit over these types of doors to insulate and seal the area.
- Clean Ducts – Dirty ducts can clog up your heating system and make it work harder. Your return vents need to stay clean and keep your system in good working order. Also be sure to keep the air filter clean and the coils clean (rinse outside unit with a hose as it gets dirty).
- Storm Windows – If you have them, now is the time to switch out your window screens for storm windows. Plus, by simply leaving your blinds open during the day, you are letting in the natural heat of the sunlight. But, be sure to close them back up at night.
How does your family make small changes to winterize your home?
Be sure to follow myself and the other 4 Texas bloggers on our quest to save money and cut our energy costs over the next few months. You can follow along by watching the #ReliantChallenge hashtag.