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Amongst the most uncomfortable and awful things to face in a freezing winter is a cold house. Spiraling energy bills deter us from turning up the heat, and the alternative appears to be to suffer in silence - the chattering teeth does not allow silence. A quick analysis will tell you if the system is producing heat efficiently or not, if efficiency is not an issue then probably you are allowing the heat to escape. If you always seem to have the heat cranked in your home, but it's chilly anyways, you could have air leaks that are letting the heat out and the cold in. Check in each room of your house to see if some are colder than others are. If you notice they are, then check around any doors that lead to the outside as well as the windows in the room. If there are drafts, you can do several things to fix it. Luckily, none of these quick fixes cost very much money. One options is rope caulk. It can be an easy and great way to seal up windows. It's very inexpensive and easy to apply it. If the draft seems to be coming from underneath a door try getting door sweeps or blockers, which are also very inexpensive. If the doors and windows don't seem to be the culprit, check out your chimney. If your chimney is open all winter long, you are allowing heat escape and cold air to seep in. When your fireplace isn't in use be sure to close the chimney flue up - you'll notice a big difference right away. Sunshine is a great source of natural warmth, so if the sun is shining open up curtains to let it in. You might be surprised at how much heat is generated by doing such a simple thing, and the best part is its free! You can see how solar paneling would easily be able to generate enough energy to heat a house. If rising energy costs are a concern but you still want a toasty warm house, consider purchasing a programmable thermostat. These inventions are brilliant. With a simple setting you can automatically program the thermostat to lower the temperature at night when you're in bed with blankets. Then, program it to rise right before you wake up. This way your house is nice and cozy, but you save a lot on your heating bill. The cost of the new thermostat will pay for itself in heat savings. An unfinished basement also creates a potential heat loss. Perhaps you think that as long as it's closed off from the rest of the house, there's no problem. But if your water heater is located in the basement, it may be losing heat before the water even gets into the rest of your house. You can buy inexpensive outer casings to provide a protective layer around the heater and prevent heat loss. If you have tried all these tricks and your house still feels as cold as a museum, you may need to have your insulation checked. While no one wants to hear this, get a few people in to check out if it's doing its job. If you need to replace it, shop around for different contractors, it may cost less than you think. And in the long run it may save you a good deal of money in reduced heating costs. No one likes to be cold in the winter, but keeping your home nice and heated doesn't have to cost you enormous amounts of money. Try these tips and you might be surprised at the difference it makes.
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About the author: Stuart Fendor is the chief writer at FL Heat, the web's premier location when you're after accurate up to date advice and ideas about Heat. For questions or comments about this article visit: www.flheat.com/articles This and other unique content heat articles are available with free reprint rights.
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