Stop Home Heat Loss and Start Saving Money
The first steps in combating the effects of heat loss are to determine where the heat loss occurs. Typically, heat loss occurs around windows and doors. It can also be lost around plumbing pipes and other service access areas, wherever the home is penetrated from the exterior. The best way to find these areas of heat loss is by simply using a candle. Light the candle and hold the flame near the doors windows and penetrations. Watch the flame to see if it moves in any direction. Its best to do this on a windy day, or when the temperature difference outside is 10 degrees or more from the inside of the house. Any area where the flame is moved by wind is a potential air leak! Mark these areas down on a piece of paper for future reference.
Around doors, the easiest solution to solving heat loss is by removing and replacing old weather stripping. It is removed easily by pulling the weather stripping gently from the top of the door and working your way down to the bottom. Insert the new weather stripping into the provided groove and pushing it firmly into place. Once the door is closed check to see if any light is showing around the door. If there is any light coming through the edges of the door then adjust the weather stripping until there is no more light showing. Thresholds can be adjusted on newer model threshold by turning the three adjustment screws. This will lift the threshold up to meet the bottom of the door and prevent heat loss.
Windows can be weatherized by re-caulking any old or loose caulk around windows and window trim. Replace any old weather stripping. Old windows should be replaced with newer, energy efficient windows. A cheap solution to replacing windows is to use clear plastic to cover the window openings from the inside. Simply tape the clear plastic around the window trim and use a blow dryer to stretch the clear plastic tight. Although you can’t open the window with the clear plastic in place, it does provide significant energy savings for hardly any cost to you.
Windows can also be weatherized permanently with window film. Window film is a layer of plastic similar to car window tinting that improves energy efficiency. It can be easily applied yourself, or a number of professional services exist that may be able to do it cheaper than you could yourself. Check your local home improvement center for deals on window film treatments. Don’t use car window tint, it just doesn’t have the R-value that home window treatments have. Any windows you don’t use cover up with drapes, curtains or shades to prevent the maximum amount of heat loss in your home this winter.
