With winter officially here, it's time for cold weather home maintenance. Here are some easy, helpful tips and DIY tricks that can not only save you on your heating bill but also on your long-term expenses down the road.
There are several things most of us to do each winter to prep for the cold. We dust off our coats, maybe buy a new snow shovel, or even switch to car tires that are equipped for the weather. These are all important, yes, but how often do we think about what we're checking inside the home?
Here are nine mistakes you might be making around the house each winter and, of course, how to fix them.
As of November 1, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has released $3.37 billion in LIHEAP Funding to states. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, helps families living on low incomes by paying their heating bills in the form of a cash grant.
It's that time of year again! The cold air is moving in, the temperatures are dropping, and the snow days are coming. But ask yourself this, have you prepared your home for these wintery conditions?
Here are some home improvements that will keep your home more comfortable, energy efficient, and even help save you money.
Growing up, we were always told to put on a cap in the winter – we lose most of the heat from our bodies from our heads – same thing with your home. Protecting the top of our homes during the winter is like putting on a warm cap.
Our homes act like a big chimney, the taller the home, the greater movement of air, which is called stack effect.
Windows are a very important part of our lives - they allow us to see what is going on in the world, they let in sunshine, and they light our houses so we don’t have to use electricity during the day. We need windows.
But they are a mixed blessing. They have very low insulation values so they cost us a lot more than a plain wall would cost to heat and cool. Also, this low R-value means the surface is cold so we can feel cool standing next to them, and they have a lot of moving parts, which means they can leak air.
Did you ever notice in the winter that some homes have a lot of icicles, while other similar homes do not? In some parts of the country this is a significant problem and results in reoccurring gutter replacement as well as water intrusion issues. Most people, if you ask them, will say the cause is that the gutters are clogged with debris. While that can be a contributing factor, the primary reason is heat loss from the home. This also contributes to high energy bills and lack of comfort in the home throughout the heating season. The following is a good description of how it occurs from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.
