November is a great time to winterize your home in preparation for colder weather. Here are a few quick, inexpensive tips for cutting your heating bills.
- Use a draft snake. This device was adopted during the Great Depression, and is one of the easiest ways to cut the cold. It’s a long sack filled with sand or kitty litter that you can push into the crack under doors to stop drafts. You can buy a pre-made draft snake, or make your own.
- Change the direction of your ceiling fans. Heat rises, so pulling the heat down from the ceiling will warm your room up fast.
- If you used a window AC unit in the summer, remove it for winter. Warm air escapes through the vents and the areas around the unit.
- Service your heating unit and replace filters. An efficient heating unit will work better and cost less to run.
- Consider using window insulation film. This thin layer of film sticks right onto your windows and adds up to 70% more heat retention.
- Use a candle to detect subtle air leaks. Light a candle, then move it all around the edge of your windows. If the flame wiggles in the breeze, then caulk that spot on the window.
- If you have a fireplace, keep the flue closed when not in use to prevent heat from escaping and cold air from working its way down into the house.
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