The cold snap is hitting a lot of us pretty hard and it could last even a few weeks into the spring. If you’re certain that your heating is working to the best of its capabilities, it might be worth looking more closely at why, exactly, the heat seems to escape the home and the cold is coming right on in. Here, we’re going to look at what you can do to protect the boundary of your home.
Checking for air gaps
If the home has been feeling colder despite having the heating turned on, then you should take the time to inspect the place. Air gaps are little holes that can effectively suck out all of the warm air, letting the cold in. They don’t need to be large to have a profound effect. Feel around the edges of doors, windows, and any maintenance covers leading outside. If you feel the cold air coming from them, then there is a gap you might need to caulk. Keep in mind that roofing damage can open up a hole in the roof, too, allowing the heat to escape that way. You can read more here to see if your roof is damaged.
Are you covered?
Even if there aren’t any gaps in the windows, doors, or other parts of the home, that doesn’t mean that heat can’t escape your home. Different materials allow for different levels of heat loss and the heat can escape right through the walls or, more likely, the roof. For that reason, you need to learn more here about attic insulation if you don’t already have it. Insulation is designed primarily to keep heat from escaping the home and, while some also insulate their walls and pipes to prevent weather crises, the roof is where most of the heat is going to escape if it is given the opportunity. Even if you already have insulation, it’s worth checking up on it now and then as things like leaks can dramatically undermine its performance.
Choosing better seals
Even if there are no air gaps to be found, there can be faults in things like the doors and windows of the home that might allow the heat to escape. If you haven’t experienced much in the way of a freezing winter before, for instance, there’s a chance you might not have double-glazed windows. Similarly, you might have doors that aren’t very effective at keeping heat transfer to a minimum. Updating your doors and windows won’t just stop the heat from escaping in the winter, but they can help you keep the home cooler in the summer. Both of these benefits can do a lot to reduce your energy bills, too.
Air gaps, poor insulation, and breaches in the home can pop up at any time. It’s important to keep an eye out for them and to inspect the home at least once a year, or sooner if you feel one room is significantly colder than the others.
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