Does your home almost always feel cold in the winter? You might be tempted to jack the heat up higher to make it more comfortable.
But that isn’t the best way to go about doing things. People already pay more than $2,200 on average every year to cover the costs associated with utility bills. And your utilities could cost you even more than that if you get into the habit of turning the heat up too high.
Instead, you should learn how to stay warm in winter in other ways. There are so many different things that you can do in your home to make it feel warmer than it does now.
Staying warm in the winter months doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Check out some of the ways in which you can keep your house warm all winter long without racking up a huge heating bill.
Keep Windows and Doors Closed
When the temperature starts to drop in your area, you should walk around inside your home and make sure all your windows are closed. You should also lock them so that they form a tight seal and keep cold air out.
You should take the same approach to your doors. You should close and lock any exterior doors that you don’t use on a regular basis. You should also tell everyone who lives in your house to avoid keeping doors open for any longer than they absolutely have to.
It’s amazing how much colder your home will feel if you leave a window or door open for even just a minute or two in the winter. It’ll allow a lot of cold air to come into your home, and your HVAC system will have to work hard to combat it and bring the temperature in your home back up.
Stop Cold Air From Leaking Into Your Home Through Windows and Doors
Keeping your windows and doors closed at almost all times should work wonders for the temperature in your home. But there are other steps you can take when it comes to your windows and doors to stop them from affecting your indoor temperature.
Every fall, you should check out the weatherstripping that is positioned around the outside of your windows and doors. If this weatherstripping is worn down, it’s not going to be able to stop cold air from leaking into your home in the wintertime, even when your windows and doors are closed.
You should go ahead and replace your weatherstripping accordingly. It’ll make a huge difference in how your home feels in the winter.
Additionally, you may want to think about replacing your windows and doors altogether if they’re on the older side. New windows and doors will make your home more energy-efficient and keep it more comfortable in the process. If the handy homeowner knows what is a prehung door they can often install those themselves, though window replacement is something that is best left to a professional.
Inspect Your Insulation
When is the last time you inspected the insulation located in your attic and behind your walls? If it’s been more than a few years now, it would be a great idea to do it if you’ve noticed that your home feels colder than normal lately.
The insulation in your attic and walls stops cold air from outside from getting into your home. It also prevents warm air from inside your home from leaking out. It’s why it’s so important for your home to be well-insulated at all times.
If you find that your old insulation just isn’t cutting it anymore, replacing it could help your home. You might not have to worry about figuring out how to stay warm in winter when you have fresh insulation installed.
Take a Look at Your Air Ducts
Most homes are equipped with a system of air ducts that are responsible for distributing the warm air that a heating system creates. These air ducts carry the warm air throughout a home and send it out through registers in different rooms.
Over time, these air ducts can develop leaks in them. They can also fall apart and stop distributing warm air the way they’re supposed to.
You might be able to make minor repairs to your home’s air ducts to bring the temperature in it back up to an acceptable level. You might also have to replace your air ducts to make your home warmer moving forward.
Invest in a Smart Thermostat
For years, homeowners had to physically walk over to their thermostats and tinker with them every time they wanted to change the temperature in their houses. Not anymore!
Smart thermostats have made it easy to control the temperature in your home from anywhere in your house. You can also control it when you’re not home by using an app set up on your smartphone.
A smart thermostat will require a small investment on your part. But it’ll be well worth the extra expense once you see how easy it makes it to heat up your home.
Most smart thermostats will even learn how warm you like your home at certain times of the day and adjust the temperature for you.
Consider Replacing Your Heating System
If you try everything else listed here and find that your house still isn’t as warm as you would like it to be in the winter, there is one last thing you can try. You can replace your old heating system with a brand-new one.
A new heating system won’t be cheap. But when you install it, it’ll start to save you money right away by heating your home up more efficiently than your old one. It’ll also make your home a lot more comfortable than it used to be.
Look around for the best heating system for your home and invest in it. Your home will stay warm all winter once you have it in place.
Learning How to Stay Warm in Winter Will Transform Your Home
By learning how to stay warm in winter in your home, you’ll find that you enjoy spending long days and nights nestled up in your house in the winter. You won’t have to endure the cold anymore.
Put the tips found here to good use today to see how well they can work. You’ll notice that your home feels warmer almost instantly when you put them to the test.
Check out the articles on our blog for more tips on heating up your home when it gets cold outside.