How to Keep Your Home Warmer When Temperatures Drop

Winter is the one season of the year where in most places it is just plain cold. Most people turn the thermostat up a little extra when the days and nights are especially cold. Others know that the more that thermostat gets turned up the more heating is going to cost for the season. These are the people who take the time to do the things that can save them both heat and money.

When the temperatures drop from cold to colder and coldest it's time to do something. Actually, the time to do something is before the temperatures drop to the extreme. That way when they do drop your home is already ready and holding heat well. Setting the thermostat up a couple of degrees higher is not the answer. If your home is leaking out heat and letting cold air in all turning up that thermostat will do is cost you more money. Your heat will still seep out through the cracks, doors, and windows.

Here are some things you can do to make your home hold heat better. This will reduce the amount of money spent on heating no matter how cold it gets. It will also prevent those chilly days and nights.

The first thing to do is to make sure that all of the cracks, gaps, seams, and such are properly sealed and filled in. The cracks along the doors and windows are the ones that let the most heat out, and the most cold air in. These can be filled in using sheetrock compound, also called mud.

Weather stripping can be purchased at a low cost. Weather stripping can be used in windows to ensure and create a snug fit and seal. This keeps heat in and cold air out. The same goes for doors. Weather stripping can be used around the inside of the door frame. Also apply it to the top and bottom to create that snug tight fit between the door and it's frame. This too keeps heat in and cold air out.

Another thing you can do is put up your thick winter curtains. These can be a great heat saver. Sometimes, when it's very cold outside, windows let in cold air and let out heat just because they are glass. It doesn't matter how well they are sealed or how snug the fit is. Glass is glass and when one side of that glass is ten or so degrees the other side, which is the interior side, is very cold. On the very coldest of days you may even see frost on the inside of your windows. This means windows should be replaced soon. Choose windows that are energy star efficient and have a double layer of glass. These hold heat in very well, and keep the cold out too.

Lastly, insulation is the primary way to keep the heat in and cold out. If your floors are not insulated cold air will seep right up through them. If your attic ceiling is not insulated heat will escape out it. Insulate these two areas of your home to really drop those heating costs. If you do that, and the tips mentioned above you will reduce your bill by at least 25 percent. If you then foam board the outside of your home and reside it over the original you will cut your bill in half. Good luck and take care!