Brrrrrr… Old Man Winter is here, and I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling cold air gushing in under my doors. As you probably know, the cold sneaks in through the nooks and crannies of a home, especially the older ones. And there are plenty of those in the area.
Is your house weatherproof? If not, besides the fact that you always need to wear a sweater, you could be spending a lot more for your heating bills. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it’s heating that accounts for almost half of the average family’s winter energy bill.
So if you’re tired of Old Man Winter reaching into your pocket and grabbing your cash, here are a few tips to keep your house cozy and warm, courtesy of Todd Dressel, owner of Dressel’s Hardware, Todd Dressel, owner of Dressel’s Hardware, 1137 Chicago Ave.
Seal your windows with lots of insulation — There are 3M kits that are very popular, where you tape shrinkwrap to the surrounding window frame and then blow it dry.
“It creates an air pocket,” said Dressel. “Air is one of the best insulators. This is one of the best things you can do.”
The kits come in various sizes for one to six windows, patio doors and picture windows, said Dressel.
Also good is a product called Mortite, said Dressel. It looks like clay and comes on a spool with six individual pieces of rope that peel off, depending on how big the crack is at the window, he said.
“You can jam this stuff in, making an airtight seal,” said Dressel. It also comes in the form of a caulk tube.
“The key to both of those products is that they’re removable,” said Dressel.
A downfall to the shrink wrap is when you peel the tape off, it might take your paint with it, he said. Yet, “the 3M kit makes a much better seal,” he said. “We sell a lot of it too — for years.”
And don’t forget about the good old portable heater, “a great secondary source” of heat and made a lot safer than it used to be. Get one that has a ceramic disc, the outside isn’t hot and you’re not going to burn yourself, said Dressel. And most heaters nowadays have tip-over switches so if it falls over, it shuts off. Don’t buy a heater with coils, he recommended.
“I would also recommend something that everybody should be doing annually: Get their furnace checked,” said Dressel. “It will be more efficient when cleaned and you might pay less in energy bills. So it kind of pays to have it serviced.”
It’s also preventative maintenance, he said. “It won’t break down in the middle of winter when you need it,”
In addition to Dressel’s advice, here are a few other ways to keep Old Man Winter out:
* Inspect doors and gaps along baseboards and weather strip or caulk the area. It’s easy to do and can help reduce heating bills.
* Make sure your attic and crawl spaces are insulated properly. The U.S. Dept. of Energy says that a properly insulated house can save you up to 30 percent on your energy bill.
* Have your chimney inspected and cleaned. Make sure you call a reputable firm to do the work.
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Hope these simple tips help you stay warm!