Insulating your home is necessary when the weather gets cold. The weather in the United States averages at 0.7°C (33°F) during winter, and in places like Alaska, it goes lower than 0°C (-32°F). During periods like this, you will be desperate for warmth, and there is no better place to get it than your home.
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To improve your home insulation, you need to assess your existing insulation, identify the leaks like doors and windows and plug them. You can also improve your home insulation by insulating your attic and hot water tank to prevent heat loss from your home.
Below, I will discuss the different ways you can insulate your home. Apart from providing warmth, it also helps you cut down on your energy bills.
1. Check and Evaluate Your Insulation
When you want to add insulation, you first need to check the existing system. The places in the home exposed to the outer parts are more prone to energy loss. That means areas like the windows, doors, attic, and exterior walls, amongst others.
If you cover the windows properly, you will likely not experience any energy loss. However, the walls on the exterior are another avenue for the cold to come in if they don’t have good insulation.
You can follow these steps to check the insulation on the exterior walls;
- Remove all power outlet covers. Remember to turn off the electrical power source to avoid electrical injuries.
- Check with a flashlight. Without a doubt, you can see the space inside, but since you need details, it is better to use a flashlight.
- Confirm the insulation type. You are not only trying to see if there is wall insulation; you need to confirm if it works well. So even if you need to pull it out, confirm the insulation conditions.
Read: Ductwork Insulation: Everything You Need To Know
2. Insulating Doors
The door is one of your home’s biggest threats to energy loss. According to a report, spaces between the doors and windows cause more than 25% of heat losses in a home.
You may think your door has enough insulation until winter comes. That is why experts advise that you use weatherstripping the doors to ensure their insulation.
Weatherstripping the doors will help with all weather conditions, but you still need to take more action with your door. These actions include;
Refurbishing the Door Protection
In the United States, most homeowners use a storm door to protect their doors from bad weather. These doors have the properties and materials to withstand bad weather. According to reports, manufacturers sell more than five million storm doors annually.
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These doors come in diverse types, but not all offer immunity against bad weather. You can refurbish the door by adding a pane of glass to the door. A glass pane has specific insulation properties, so it helps better.
Read: Should You Give Your Air Conditioner A Break?
Cover Underneath the Door
There is always that little space beneath the doors during the installation of most entries. This space is necessary for the free movement of the door. However, it still leads to heat loss in the home.
You can solve this problem by installing a draft stopper to cover that space and allow free door movements. You can try the Holikme Twin Door Draft Stopper (available on Amazon.com). You can use this product to cover not only underneath but other parts of the door, and it is large enough that it will not slip and move around every time you need to open the door.
3. Insulating Windows
As I mentioned earlier, windows and doors are significant culprits for any heat loss and insulation you get in the home. Windows are especially tricky because of the need to open and close them. Hence, you must be careful when insulating windows.
Two things are possible when you want to add insulation to your windows;
- Double glazing. This process involves leaving a space filled with inert gas between the windows.
- Using strip sheets. These strip sheets come in different materials but with the same aim. It is always better to buy the one that tapes to the wall easily for easy window movement.
You can watch this video to learn more about double glazing:
4. Insulating the Attic
Unlike doors and windows, the attic may not be the major source of ventilation in the home. However, the attic is one of the most crucial spots for heat and energy loss. As I mentioned in my article about heating tips for winter, up to 85% of heat loss comes through the attic.
Therefore, it is most crucial to Insulate the attic.
It is easier to improve insulation in your attic than to replace the insulation in your entire house. Remove all the air gaps to prevent cold drafts, then boost the insulation in the attic to reduce total heat loss from your home.
Attic insulation is usually technical, so hiring experts for such jobs is always better. According to experts, you have two options for attic insulation:
- Loose-fill insulation. This type is the cheaper option. It may be the better option if the installation is perfect.
- BAT insulation. It is the more expensive insulation option but easy to install.
Before you insulate the attic, however, you ought to confirm if what you have is enough. The standard attic insulation is the R-30 insulation – when the insulation thickness is between ten and thirteen inches (25.4-33 cm).
5. Insulating Hot Water Tank
One thing the winter period does is increase the energy use to keep things hot. Hot water kept in your water tanks will get cold within short periods.
Luckily, solving this problem does not require any technical expertise. All you need to do is buy a water heater jacket to cover the hot water tank.
You have to measure the size of your water heater before buying any smaller or bigger jacket. The SmartJacket Water Heater Insulation (available on Amazon) will help you reduce energy loss by 40%. It is a product I will highly recommend that you try.
Read: What Is The Major Cause Of Thermostat And Zoning Failure?
6. Maintain HVAC Systems
Your air vents, air conditioners, and every other home heating or cooling appliance are crucial during summer and winter. You must regularly ensure you are not losing heat through the vents or any other point in the HVAC. As a rule of thumb, you should check your HVAC system every quarter of the year.
7. Change Curtains
Window blinds and curtains are essential designs in the home’s interior. But these items are also very useful for insulation purposes.
Not every regular curtain will work well in keeping warmth within the home. You will need a thermal curtain. Using good thermal curtains can save you up to 15% of total energy expenses.
The BGment Thermal Blackout Curtains (available on Amazon.com) are easy to install. These blackout curtains have two layers to prevent energy loss and give your room a dark and cozy feel. They are also machine-washable, making them a convenient option for your home.
Read: Can Zone Damper System Save You Money And Is It Really Worth It?
Conclusion
Building good insulation into your home during construction is ideal. However, you can improve the existing insulation by looking for air gaps in your doors and windows and sealing them. Maintaining your HVAC systems and using thermal curtains will also help.
The overall heat loss in your home can be contained by sprucing up the insulation in your attic. Ensure you contact an expert when necessary for insulation, especially for insulation that needs to be built into your walls.