Home Improvement Ideas: Winterizing Your Home

With the colder weather peaking around the corner, making a few home improvements now can save you on your heating costs in the winter. Winterizing your home does not have to be a major undertaking. With a few simple steps, you can feel all warm and cozy in the dead of winter.

Sealing the gaps on the outside of your home will prevent the cold air from blowing in. Check around exterior winds for gaps. The window casings and doorway openings are two culprits that let that cold air inside. The open gaps need to be sealed. Around the windows and door casings all that are needed usually, is some new calking into these cracks. A little squirt with a calking gun can seal those exposed openings. Check the doors to see if new weather stripping is needed.

It is a good time to check your plumbing outlets at this time, as well. Generally the focus is placed on windows and doors for winterizing, but those plumbing pipes are also letting that cold air in. Using the chalk can seal these gaps as well. Seal these at the same time that you are sealing the rest of the exterior.

Go into the attic and check the insulation. If you can see the joists, then more insulation is needed. Heat will escape right up and out through the roof, if there is not enough insulation. Adding insulation is not that costly but without enough major heat loss will occur.

Seal up the inside of your home as well. Cracks round windows and electrical outlets on the exterior walls can have gaps as well. If there is evidence of openings, the calking gun can be used in these areas as well.

If your budget has not allowed you to replace drafty windows, there are window insulation kits available to seal these robbers of heat. The cost of these kits is low but the savings can be high depending on the amount of windows in your home.

Last but not least, have a furnace professional inspect your furnace to make sure it is operating properly. Change furnace filters regularly and do not forget cleaning out the ductwork. Any thing that blocks the air flow is going to hamper your furnaces function. Now is also when you need to make sure your carbon monoxide is working, if you do not have one get one.