There are a lot of reasons why you’ll want to make sure that heat doesn’t escape your home. For one thing, escaping heat obviously will make your home much less comfortable, particularly during the winter. Nobody wants to live in a drafty house! For another, when heat escapes your house you may as well be letting go of money too. The more quickly heat escapes your house, the more quickly your energy bills will build. Your home’s heating and cooling system will essentially work overtime to compensate for that escaped heat, which will drive up your energy expenses.
So, how do you prevent this from happening? You should focus on windows and doors, firstly. After all, typically 10% to 25% of a home’s heat escapes through its windows. With that being said, let’s explore how you can work with window and door specialists to prevent heat from escaping your home.
1. Use Window Coverings
Perhaps one of the best ways of preventing heat from escaping your windows is using window coverings, like for example Norman window coverings. Window coverings obviously come in a variety of different forms. Not only will they prevent heat from escaping your windows; they’ll also improve the appearance of your home and shield you from the light streaming in from your windows.
When choosing between different Norman window coverings, you don’t necessarily have to stick to the typical blinds. There are more interesting blinds you can select if you are interested in that method; you can choose bamboo blinds, for example. But there are also shutters and curtains available that can attractively cover your windows and prevent heat from escaping your home. When selecting window coverings, you don’t need to have your windows constantly covered. You simply need to ensure that they can be covered during the winter, especially at night.
2. Install New Insulation
You also need to make sure that your home is properly insulated. Many houses are not efficiently insulated, and homeowners aren’t even aware of this issue. Even if your home was insulated in the past, you may need to top off your existing insulation or perhaps replace it entirely. Insulating your home can be done in conjunction with adding Norman window coverings, ultimately dealing with the issue more effectively than you would if you took a singular approach.
Although further insulating your home and sealing up gaps and cracks can cost money, in the long term these measures will pay for themselves. You would lose more in overworked heating and energy bills otherwise.
3. Replace Older Windows
We don’t often think about window replacements. But no matter how great your Norman window coverings are, you may need to buy new windows entirely if you’ve had them for too long. You should ask about your home’s windows before you buy the house itself, as they may be much older than you think.
Just like any other aspect of a home, windows wear down over time. Wooden frames in particular are prone to rot, while glass windowpanes will crack and break after decades of service. Your windows themselves may not be the primary culprit when heat escapes your home. You may also need to consider replacement doors. But they should definitely be inspected if your energy bills are rising.
4. Close Unused Rooms
You may not always be using every room of your home; in fact, you probably won’t use all of them at the same time. Furniture can’t feel cold, so you might want to close off the rooms that you’re not often using. Turn off the heat in those rooms if your heating system will allow it, and furthermore close the doors to those rooms.
5. Install Pelmets
Pelmets are boxes that cover your curtain rods, though invisible pelmets are above curtain rods and are pressed against the back of the curtain. They essentially act as barriers against cold air.
There are a lot of issues that come from heat escaping your home. Not only does it force energy bills to rise; it also can cause health issues. But with a few adjustments, you can ensure that your home is as warm and well-insulated as possible.