There are many ways you can keep your Connecticut home warm during the cold winter months. Some are inexpensive, such as adding foil behind radiators to stop heat escaping. Others are more of an investment, such as replacing doors and windows, but will come at the long term benefit of helping you save on heating and utility bills. Here are our top ten tips to help keep your Connecticut home warm and cozy this winter.
- Replace your windows and doors. Windows and doors that have gaps around the edge and aren’t properly sealed will let out warm air and let the cold outside air inside. High quality window replacement and door replacement will help keep the heat in.
- Check over ventilation. Check your bathroom extractor fan to make sure it has a draft blocker so cold winter air isn’t blowing back into your house. Also make sure your ceiling fan direction is reversed between spring and fall.
- Maximise radiator heat. Consider lining the wall behind your radiator with tinfoil. This will reflect heat back into the room rather than it escaping. This isn’t just possible for radiators but other sources of heat around your home too.
- Insulate pipework. Think about insulating central heating and hot water pipes in non-living areas. This will help keep your home warmer and reduce heat loss. Pipe insulation can also be placed along cracks at the bottom of doors to prevent draughts.
- Use heated foot warmers. This one is particularly useful for people who spend lots of time at a desk at home. A great heated foot warmer that we recommend is the Cozy Products TT Toasted Toes Ergonomic Heated Foot Warmer.
- Block off chimney flues. Open chimneys will remove a lot of heat from your home. Thankfully there is an easy remedy which is a fireplace insert. This will reduce the amount of heat escaping up your chimney. Just make sure to remove it if you do decide to use your fire.
- Insulate attic doors. You may not have realised, but attic doors are a major source of heat loss in your home if they aren’t sufficiently insulated. If you suspect your home suffers this, head down to your local Lowe’s or Home Depot for advice and materials for this easy DIY job.
- Cover cold floors. If your house doesn’t have a cellar, it may suffer from cold floors and this can be a major source of heat loss. Prevent this by covering your floors with rugs and carpets to prevent as much heat loss as possible.
- Use wall and roof insulation. The major source of heat loss in many homes is through lack of suitably insulated roof spaces and walls. Although adding wall insulation is generally a contractors job, competent DIYers can usually easily add insulation to a loft.
- Use heaters sparingly. Although heaters can be useful to warm up a single room without having to turn the central heating on, they are expensive to run long term. So use them for short periods when it is particularly cold, but don’t leave them on for hours.
There are many inexpensive ways to keep your Connecticut home warm this winter, however, high quality windows and doors that are properly installed are perhaps the most important feature of your home, and they require an investment. Nevertheless, they are a worthwhile investment that can save you a lot of money in the long run, make your home more attractive, and keep your family safe & warm.
At Manchester Millwork, we have been focused on providing window and door replacement to residents of Connecticut for over 30 years. Based in Manchester, CT, we specialize in all your millwork needs, using only the best product and materials available.
Get in touch with us today so we can give you a free estimate on your next project: