Ensuring your home is well-insulated is crucial for maintaining a cozy home throughout the winter, especially during cold spells. Heat can easily escape from your home without adequate insulation, and cold air can seep in, forcing your heating system to work harder and driving up your energy bills. Along with upgrading your home electrical panel and wiring, investing in effective insulation measures is one of the most cost-efficient ways to improve your home’s energy performance and overall comfort.
Insulate Your Doors
Consider adding draft stoppers to the bottoms of your doors. Without them, your home may be losing a significant amount of heat through these gaps during the winter. Draft stoppers are an affordable and simple solution that can help maintain your home’s warmth. They are easy to install and can be removed and stored when warmer weather arrives.
For a more permanent solution, you can install draft brushes at the bottom of exterior doors. Draft brushes come with adhesive backing, or your can screw them into place. If using the adhesive type, make sure to clean the area before peeling off the backing and pressing the brush firmly against the bottom of the door. Alternatively, when using screws, ensure you pre-drill the holes before securing the brush to prevent splitting the door’s wood. You can also apply sealant to the inside door frames to prevent cold air from seeping through. This small investment can significantly enhance your home’s comfort and energy efficiency.
Consider updating your doors if you’ve implemented these measures and still notice drafts. Poorly fitting doors can allow heat to escape, so replacing them with new, properly fitted doors could further improve your home’s insulation and energy savings.
Seal Loose Floorboards
Wooden floorboards can bring a lot of charm and elegance to your home, but they also allow drafts to seep in. In older homes, gaps between floorboards are often hidden from view but can still cause significant heat loss, especially if your basement lacks insulation. Even small gaps can let in as much cold air as an uninsulated door, so promptly addressing any loose floorboards is essential.
Repairing these gaps will make a noticeable difference in your home’s warmth and energy efficiency. If professional repair is not within your budget, consider using sealant strips. These silicone or rubber strips are commonly referred to as gap fillers or floor gap seals. They are designed to fit between the floorboards and can be easily applied to seal gaps. This simple solution helps to block cold air from your basement and improve the overall comfort of your home.
Insulate Your Attic
A lot of heat can escape through your roof, making attic insulation crucial for maintaining energy efficiency and comfort. In fact, the Department of Energy suggests that you can lose up to 25% of your home’s heat through an uninsulated or poorly insulated attic.
While DIY methods can be effective, hiring a professional is the best approach to improve attic insulation. Blown-in insulation, such as fiberglass or cellulose, is applied to fill gaps and cover irregular surfaces effectively. Batt or roll insulation involves laying pre-cut fiberglass or mineral wool between the joists in your attic. For difficult-to-reach areas, spray foam insulation creates an airtight seal by expanding into gaps and cracks, offering both insulation and air sealing. Additionally, a professional will address any air leaks around vents, pipes, and electrical outlets before adding insulation.
Seek Out Drafts and Seal Them Up
Sealing gaps in your floors and doors is a great start, but if you still feel drafts in your home, it’s time to hunt them down. Even newly constructed homes can have hidden draft sources that are easy to overlook. One effective method for detecting drafts is to use a candle. Move around your home holding a lit candle in front of windows, doors, and electrical outlets on exterior walls. You’ve likely found a draft source if the candle flame flickers or goes out. Once you’ve identified these areas, you can address the drafts accordingly. For instance, you can install foam pads if you find drafts around electrical outlets. They available at most hardware stores.
Reflect Radiator Heat
If your home has radiators, using reflectors can be an effective way to improve heating efficiency. Radiator reflectors are thin panels that fit between the wall and the radiator. They typically incorporate materials like aluminum or reflective foil, which help redirect heat that the wall would otherwise absorb back into the room. Reflectors can enhance the warmth and comfort of your space while reducing the need for additional heating by reflecting this lost heat.
Cover Your Windows
Windows are one of the main areas where heat escapes, especially in older or poorly insulated homes. To prevent heat loss, consider using heavy drapes or thermal curtains. These window coverings block cold air from seeping in and trap the warmth inside your home. For the best results, close your drapes at night or when you’re not home, as this will help maintain a consistent indoor temperature. Thermal curtains with an insulated backing are particularly effective, as they create an extra barrier between the cold glass and your living space. Covering your windows can significantly reduce heat loss and improve energy efficiency during the coldest winter months.
Check Your Chimney
If you have a chimney but don’t often use your fireplace, you may be losing a significant amount of heat from your home. Since warm air rises, an open chimney allows much of your home’s warmth to escape. It is essential to block it when it’s not in use. There are various fireplace draft stoppers available, and a professional can help you find the right one for your home. If you never use your fireplace, you might even consider permanently sealing your chimney to prevent ongoing heat loss.
Insulate Your Walls
Proper insulation in your walls can make a significant difference in reducing heat loss. Materials like mineral wool or fiberglass are commonly used to fill cavities and enhance insulation. While newer homes typically have these materials already in place, older homes may need an insulation upgrade. A professional can use spray foam insulation or blown-in cellulose to improve thermal performance. Adding a layer of drywall can further enhance insulation for cold wall areas, especially in homes with concrete or stone walls. A professional may also recommend insulating external walls with thermal plasterboard to boost energy efficiency.
Contact the Professionals
At Finch Home Solutions, we have been serving the residents of Shakopee, MN and the surrounding areas for over 15 years. We are certified electricians who can help you rewire an older home or install a new electrical system if you are in the process of building your residence. We can also help with electrical panel and lighting upgrades. In addition, we can install modern necessities like charging stations for electric vehicles and whole-home surge protection.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our talented team members.
