Love your home, keep it warm!

As the cold temps are upon us here in Maine it’s a good day to check your home for air infiltration. Cold air leaking into your home or business is one your biggest sources of heat loss. Make a list of these areas and fix them. If you place your hand need the walls your will feel where the coldest spots are that need fixing. Common area’s to find leaks are as you know are around windows and doors. Area’s we don’t often think about leaking are along floor and ceiling lines on outside walls. Electrical switches and outlets on exterior walls are another great spot to check for heat loss. So take a few minutes to walk around the interior perimeter to find these money sucking areas of your place. Remember just because the building is relatively new doesn’t mean it’s not leaky!

So what to do about these areas? If you’re a do it you’re self-er than take a trip to your local hardware store get a cocking gun, some cocking, door sweeps, and switch and outlet insulators. You may need to remove the trim carefully to get at these areas around the windows and door to do the job right. Your efforts will be rewarded with lower fuel bills in the future. If you have an older home with older window treatments such as cellular blinds will help with the heat loss. This is a good option even if your windows are newer; the “R” value which determines the insulting quality of your window is much less than that of your wall. Your fuel bill will be less if you cover your windows up for the winter or at least for the evenings when it is typically the coldest. If the windows are really bad consider replacing them. So show your home you love it by keeping it warm this winter and keep the cold air out.

Not handy, consider hiring a handyman to do it for you. If your house is really leaky it won’t take long for you to get the pay back on your investment. Also helping to keep others employed is good for the economy. Not to mention the improvements in the comfort of these spaces when they stay a bit warmer.

So take advantage of these single digit days to easily find the leaks and plug them up from the inside so you can pocket that fuels savings for more important things in life! Remember good interior design is about more than just looking good it’s about functionality and comfort, looking good is just a sweet bonus!

If you have questions or comment please let me know, I'd love to hear form you! Or if you know someone who can use these tips feel free to forward them a link to this site!