Weatherizing Your Home to Save Money

As summer ends and fall begins, there are many steps that your family can take to prepare your home for the cold months ahead. Most homes, particularly older ones, have some drawbacks that make them less energy efficient than they could be. These seemingly small problems could mean that your home’s heat and your money are slipping through the cracks. The following weatherizing tips could help you stay warm more easily in the winter while also helping to lower your utility bill.

Seal up Cracks and Leaks

When looking for ways to winterize, one of the best steps that you can take is to invest in some weather stripping and seal any small holes or cracks that you can find. Focus on your front and back doors, windows, drop-down attic doors, and ventilation pipes. These are the places where heat and AC are most likely to escape to the outside. Leaks in ventilation pipes are especially important because they are responsible for a significant amount of air loss coming directly from your heater or air conditioner.

Lower Your Thermostat

If no one is going to be home during the day, consider setting your thermostat about 5 degrees lower than what it is set at when you are home. If you have an electronic system, you can program the heat to turn on about 30 minutes before you arrive home. This will help you save money and energy during the day without the air temperature being uncomfortable when you return.

If your family typically runs the heat constantly in the winter, try a new approach: try setting your thermostat to five degrees lower than its usual setting, and wear an extra layer instead. Running space heater or lighting a fire in the fireplace is a more efficient way to warm a single room without having the heat running through the entire house.

Contact Us

For assistance with winterizing or searching for a home, please contact the Austin real estate professionals of the Carvajal Group today at 512-419-7770.