From Guest Blogger Lillian Connors: Roads Towards More Sensible Domestic Heating During Icy Winters

Winter is around the corner and your heating bill can always benefit from some trimming. The best way to do this is by doing a tour of your house, finding the problem areas and fixing them in order to reduce the money necessary to keep your abode warm and comfortable.
Weatherstripping

Drafts let the cold air into your home, which is caused by worn and torn weatherstripping. This directly accounts for around 10% of a home’s heat loss around doors and windows, according to Black Hills Energy, which is exactly why homeowners crank up their furnaces in order to maintain warm air. This, in turn, means increased energy spending. Even without turning the furnace up, it is automatically caused to work harder, which again means loss of energy. The best way to cut down on drafts is weatherstripping around doors and windows. Keep in mind that the majority of weatherstripping needs to be replaced every couple of years.

Door Thresholds

Although weatherstripping can be applied all around the windows, the doors rely on thresholds in addition to weatherstrips. The logic behind this is simple – if your door isn’t in contact with the threshold, warm air will be pulled out from your home. Now, quality thresholds come equipped with four or five adjustable screws that allow you to tweak the threshold gap in order to eliminate the potential gap. Just be careful not to raise it too much, otherwise the threshold will interfere with your door functioning – dragging on the threshold may compromise the weatherstripping.

Electrical Boxes

Yes, the draft can find its way even through your electrical boxes, which are notoriously drafty owing to improperly placed insulation behind them. Removing the cover plate and filling the small gaps around the boxes is the best way to tackle this issue (use acrylic latex or silicone caulk). After the gaps are filled, place a foam gasket over the outlet.

Exterior Wall Holes

Electrical cables, pipes and gas lines that are connected with your house’s exterior have gaps around them, which are usually filled with caulk. This caulk, however, has a tendency to crack, peel and fall off at some point, thus letting the outside cold air in. Even more importantly, the gas pipes can actually start leaking gas, so have this checked out when looking for draft causes, advises a seasoned Inner West plumber. Additionally, make sure that all the gaps are sealed with expanding foam.

The Attic Access Door

Creepy crawlers aren’t the only fans of the attic – a draft and cold air love it! Even if you’ve insulated your attic perfectly, without properly taking care of your attic access door, you are letting the warm air escape through the hatch. Use adhesive to attach fiberglass batt insulation to the attic side of the door and make sure a good seal is formed.

Chimney

Yes, the general idea behind fireplaces is heating up, but when they aren’t in use, the warm air has a tendency to get away via the chimney even when the flue is closed. A ridiculous, but rather useful solution is using an inflatable chimney balloon in order to block the airflow here. Easy to use and a valid investment, these balloons are easily found online.

These tips can all be used to improve your indoor comfort when it comes to warmth, but even more importantly, they significantly impact domestic heating spending, which is important for both your pocket and for saving our planet. Going green while keeping your pockets turned the right side in has never been easier, you must admit.