Sustainably Readying Your House for the Cold Seasons
There are few things more beautiful and mesmerizing than looking out your window and seeing a gorgeous winter landscape. However, while it is nice to see, this time of year will not always be so pleasant if you don’t prepare your home for the colder temperatures. Fall is the perfect time for home improvements. You can start these preparations for colder weather while keeping sustainability in mind.
When you make environmentally conscious decisions, then you can ensure that your children, their grandchildren, and the generations to come can continue to enjoy those winter landscapes. Today, we will talk about how you can ready your home for those colder climates in the best way possible.
Swapping out Seasonal Belongings
Photo by Mike Kotsch
The first step that you should take is to look at all of your belongings and store away what you no longer need so you can make space for your winter stuff. That means collecting your portable fans and lightweight blankets and clearing your closet of all of your shorts, skirts, and other summer clothes. Replace those items with your pants, sweaters, boots, heavy blankets, and everything else that you use to stay cozy all winter long.
If you have a larger house with a lot of stuff, then you are probably wondering what you can do with it all, but you may just need some extra storage to keep those items out of sight. If you are running out of room in your garage or closets, then consider adding shelves so you can store more items off of the ground and out of your way. If you have a smaller home and you are tight on space, then you can think about multifunctional storage. In many cases, that might be as simple as buying a bench or ottoman that you can use as furniture, but there is also room inside to hold your spring and summer clothes.
This is also a good time to start picking up and storing away your outdoor furniture. Even high-quality furniture can be ruined by the elements after a season of snow and rain, so bring it all inside and store it in a warm, dry place. At the very minimum, if you have to keep it outside, then you should cover everything with a tarp or two to keep the stuff dry. Just make sure to tie it down securely, so it doesn’t blow away.
Smart Home Heating
Even if you wear your down comforter like a cape all winter long, you are still likely to get a chill. Many people set their thermostats too high and pair them with portable heaters and other devices, but, by doing so, you are using a lot of electricity. In order to produce that energy, fossil fuels need to be burned, and that causes climate change and pollution, so if you want to do your part to help the planet, then you need to make smart decisions and improve your energy efficiency.
The best way to start reducing your home’s carbon footprint is to maintain or upgrade the HVAC and heating systems in your home. If they have not been checked out lately, then there may be damage or inefficiencies that are impacting the flow of energy and are making your heater work harder than necessary. The harder it works, the more energy is wasted, and the higher your utility bills will be. Once you know that your heater is in good working order, you should keep the temperature at a reasonable number. Most experts recommend keeping it at 68 degrees when everyone is in the house. When you’re at work and school, you can lower it and save more money.
If your heating bill is still higher than you would like, then it may also be that your home is not sealed properly. When you have older windows and doors, you may find that they are not as secure and strong at the perimeter as they used to be, and the heat can escape through the cracks, which requires your HVAC system to work overtime. To fix the issue, put a bead of caulk around the windows or consider completely upgrading the windows to energy-efficient alternatives.
Heat can also escape under doors that are not properly secured. Fix that issue by adding caulk or placing a door draft stopper at the bottom.
Warm Your Home on a Budget
There are a few other tactics that you can try to stay warm and avoid wasted energy during the winter, and you can do many of them without breaking your budget. You can start by adding extra insulation to your attic. When the heat rises, that insulation will keep it from leaking out through the ceiling, and you can stay warmer for longer. When you look for contractors to do that work, request quotes so you can get the best price.
A very easy and free way to heat a room is to reverse the direction of your ceiling fans. Just about every fan will have a switch on the housing or the remote that allows you to change the direction so that your blades rotate the other way. When you do that, the fan distributes the heat so it fills the space, and this tactic may even allow you to use the heater less often and save money.
Finally, you can retain the heat in your home by being smart about how you use your windows. During the day, keep the curtains open so that you can warm your house using the natural power of the sun. At night, you can keep that heat inside by installing thick curtains and keeping them closed. Doing so will also create a cozier atmosphere.
As you can see, there are many ways that you can get your house ready for the winter season and help the environment all at once. Consider these tips, and you can stay warm and toasty during the snowy months.
Author : Olives Miles
