Tips for Winterizing Your Home

This winter, Ohioans have already experienced subzero temperatures and polar vortexes.  Therefore, winterizing your home becomes vital in protecting against frozen pipes, high energy bills and an overall uncomfortable home. Here are some tips on how to winterize your home this season. Better late than never!  

To keep the warm air inside, you’ll want to seal any gaps or cracks in your home. Common sources of air leakage include attic accesses, basement or crawl space rim joists, and cracks in drywall or plaster. Primary Home Improvements use foam packs to air seal these types of areas. As part of our air sealing strategy, we start with air sealing the attic since this can be the biggest source of most drafts. To create an energy-efficient home, you need to air seal first before insulating your home. The simple and cost-effective task of air sealing your home can cut your heating and cooling costs by an average of 15%! 

Although it might seem obvious, insulating your walls and attic is pivotal to winterizing your home against the cold. With more than 90% of homes being under-insulated in the U.S., it’s no wonder that utility bills are through the roof and pipes are freezing. RetroFoam injection foam is a perfect solution to insulating walls. Injection foam fills every part of the cavity which subsequently stops drafts and decreases the run time on your furnace. The best part is that there is no need to rip the existing walls down to the studs.  

In terms of attic insulation, fiberglass or cellulose can work to provide the best R-Value. Both fiberglass and cellulose are environmentally friendly, dense products that resist unwanted airflow from the outside. These blown-in products are installed at a consistent and high R-Value in order to create the most energy-efficient attic. Having proper attic insulation is one of the most affordable and easiest ways to reduce energy loss and winterize your home permanently!  

Having your furnace serviced each year is important in the winterizing process because it can prevent an emergency if it stops working during a freeze period. Hiring a certified HVAC technician can ensure that the system is working efficiently and effectively. They have the knowledge to clean the system, replace filters and test the functions.  

Programmable thermostats, such as Google Nests, can help you winterize your home using its customizable features. Being able to set a heating schedule where the furnace runs more when you’re home or awake and less when you’re away or asleep is energy efficient. Programmable thermostats with their own apps are also convenient because you can track your home’s temperature while you’re away and monitor what the furnace does.

Primary Home Improvements can help kick start your winterizing projects. Give us a call today for a FREE in-home Estimate!