Savvy Ways To Keep Your Home Warm & Energy Efficient

When you feel cold and chilly you can always put on a heavy sweater or sweatshirt, but when your home is chilly…. especially in the dead of winter…. that can be a real problem. So you may be wondering how to keep your home warm and getting rid of that chill in the air and the answer is simple… think of it like keeping yourself warm. Below are a few things you can do to keep your home warm and energy efficient this winter and all year long.

Insulation

The first thing I think of to keep my home warm and energy efficient is insulation. You need to make sure your home is properly dressed… so to say. Think of that warm heavy sweater as proper insulation for your home. No matter what part of the country you live in, having the right R-value of insulation is important for sure as insulation is the protective layer between your home and the elements. Every single exterior wall in your home should be properly insulated. Keep in mind that if you have a room over your garage or in your attic, those are 2 places that are very commonly overlooked for insulation. I remember my mom always telling me when I was a kid that you lose your body heat through your head and the same is true for your home. In your home’s case… the head is your home’s roof. Your roof doesn’t just keep the rain off, it also keeps rising warm air inside of your home from escaping. For this reason, it’s worth looking into austin roofing contractors to carry out a thorough inspection of your roof before those cold months hit. If you require any repairs then have them fixed as soon as possible. A leak in the roof can lead to ruined, mouldy insulation, which will not keep in the heat, as well as being structurally dangerous. A well-insulated roof means that more warm air stays inside, and your furnace or boiler doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. However, it is still always good to have a well-working furnace in order to maintain a solid level of warmth in the home. You can have a look at some of the indoor wood furnace reviews here if you’re interested in having one of these in your house.

Another thing to look for in your home are drafts that are created by tiny gaps around your homes windows and doors that are letting your homes warm air out while allowing the cold air to seep in. You can do a few things now before it gets too cold, to check for these drafts such as….

*Hold your hand around the edges of your windows and doors to see if you have any air leaks.

*Check for foggy or frosty windows as they are a sign that the outside cold air is leaking into your home through tiny gaps around your windows.

*you can add a rubber gasket behind your homes light switches and electrical outlet cover plates on exterior walls to reduce or eliminate warm air loss.

Programmable Thermostats

Another thing you can look into for your home is a programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats can be your best ally when it is extremely cold outside. You simply program the thermostat to the temperature you want, at the times that you want it, and your thermostat will do all of the work for you. I keep my temps low at night while sleeping and then have it programmed to warm up an hour before we wake up so the temperature is nice and comfortable when we are starting off our day and getting ready for whatever the day has in store for us.

Other tips for saving money with a programmable thermostat are…..

*Program your thermostat when you are away as there is no need to keep the temps up when you are not home.

*Override your settings when you have guests over-especially if you’re making a big dinner in your oven as this always heats up your home.

*Try taking turns with potluck dinners or game nights with friends or family as this is a great way to reduce the power usage of your home for even a night.

Tankless Water Heaters

Another way you can save money this winter and enjoy warm or hot water when you need it, is by installing a tankless water heater in your home.

A tankless water heater is a heating unit that doesn’t rely on a tank to heat water and it is usually placed near the water source you want to be heated. Similarly to the tankless water tanks you can find out sites like www.waterheaterreviewssite.com, they are awesome because they only heat up water when it is needed, unlike water tanks that do so throughout the day, which ultimately means a lot of wasted energy and resources that you will have to pay for. Tankless water heaters provide endless and instant hot water when you need it so there is never a waiting period for your hot water supply. This is what saves you on your energy costs as hot water tanks run all of the time to ensure you have a supply of stored pre-heated water. I also have to say that I love those tankless water heaters take up a lot less room as compared to traditional water tanks that can take up quite a bit of space and tankless water heaters can be mounted on the wall making them ideal for space-saving. If you feel like it might be the way to go, LifeRejoice can help you make the choice with which one would suit you best in your home.

Other benefits of tankless water heaters are…..

*Tankless water heaters have a longer life span than traditional hot water tanks. Hot water tanks wear out by getting rusty and corroded since they store big amounts of water all the time. Since tankless hot water heaters don’t need to store water at all, they don’t face these problems and last twice as long as regular tanks do.

*Tankless water heaters save you from having to clean them. Traditional hot water tanks can have years of rust build-up and can get gunked up with residue but with a tankless water heater, cleaning is no issue as it does not store water.

There are so many fabulous reasons that you might want to consider replacing your tank for a tankless unit. Saving money on your energy costs is a big one, but the fact that it lasts so much longer in conjunction with the fact that you do not have to worry about the build-up of corrosion caused by the stored water in the traditional water tank, is a plus as well. Tankless hot water heaters are a great way to eliminate your water heating issues so you can get on with life! If you are looking to switch to a tankless water heater make sure you read up on some tankless water heater reviews as this is crucial for finding the right tankless water heater to suit your homes needs.

So what do you think of these savvy ways to keep your home warm and toasty all while being energy efficient? Leave some comment love and tell me what you think or tell me ways that you keep your home warm and energy efficient. I always love hearing from you!