June 16, 2009
Ways To Keep Your Home Warm
With the increased cost of heating our homes, many people are thinking about ways to save energy and ways to save money, while still keeping their homes toasty and warm. Others aren’t as concerned with saving money but with saving energy. Either way here are some tips where you can do both.
One of the most common forms of heat loss is drafts. Check windows and doors for cold air. You can also burn something and follow the smoke to see where the draft is coming from.
When you find the drafts you can use weather stripping to seal up the draft. If there is a draft under a door it?s easy to throw down a draft blocker or a rolled up towel. Some people get creative and do all kinds of creations with plastic, sheets, tape, etc. You?ll have to follow your budget and tastes on that one.
Some people like soft absorbent furniture with lots of pillows and throws. This can also make your room warmer. Not to mention cozier. Cold air can get absorbed in all of the cushioned softness, keeping things warmer.
Do it your self insulation techniques are great. But if you can afford it, you may want to have a professional check out your insulation. Modern techniques are innovative and effective.
A digital thermostat not only looks great it can really improve the performance of your home heating system. With the automatic settings you can have your home set at different temperatures throughout the day and week. A common use is to have the house cool while you?re gone and warm it up right before you return home. The same goes for when you?re sleeping. The heat kicks in right before you get up.
Proper maintenance on your heating system, will make it run more efficiently and last for years to come. Have your furnace checked yearly for cleaning and lubrication and normal adjustments.
One of the oldest and yet recently innovative ways to warm up your home is the fireplace. With an energy efficient fireplace you can warm up a room and run your central heating less. Some great fireplace choices are gas and electric.
If you have wood burning fireplace you can make it more efficient with a gas or electric fireplace insert. This will also make it more environmentally friendly. You can also get a blower with your insert that will distribute the heat better.
Some clean burning gas fireplaces have blowers which help distribute the heat throughout the room. Once again helping to create that zone that helps to lower the temperature on the thermostat. Modern fireplaces and accessories have really come a long way.
Keeping your home warm makes for the most enjoyable winter. Saving energy and money also makes for a great winter. A fireplace is a great way to supplement home heating. If you don’t have a fireplace, an electric fireplace can be an inexpensive and portable option.
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