It’s already November as I write this and some recent years we’ve had relatively mild weather even into November, but this year we’re already looking out the windows at our third measurable snowfall here in the mountains of North Carolina. It’s felt more like January than November the last couple weeks and our thoughts have been on extra steps we can take to “winterize” the house or prepare for winter in ways that can reduce air leakage and increase the warmth in the house while at the same time decreasing our power bill.

Replacement Windows

Last year we were fortunate enough to be having a renovating project going on and window replacements were on the list. The new windows are much tighter than the older windows that we had although the seem between the window itself and the trim could still be caulked. So, that’s one big item on our to-do list.

Weather Stripping

Reviewing and refreshing the weather stripping around the doors to make sure that the doors seal as well as possible is another item on the list. Also, if you just have a screen door instead of a storm door, you might want to look at what things you can do to seal your screen opening with either plastic or plexiglass. You could also consider the idea of just replacing the screen with a storm door. I know these kinds of things will cost money, but you’ll realize the savings in both electricity if you have electric heating as well as heating oil bills if that’s your source of heat.

Close off unused space

If there are rooms of the house that you don’t use, maybe a spare guest bedroom or study, you might want to consider closing the door and the air vents in that area. I know many times we’ve used the advantage of having a cool room like this to store citrus in the winter months without taking up space in the refrigerator. Even if it’s a room that’s used some, ask yourself if you’re in there enough to heat it all day and night. If you only make use of the space once a week, close it off and save the warmth for your more highly used areas of the house.

Insulation

I don’t know many houses that couldn’t use just a bit more insulation in the attic. Heat rises and the attic insulation is there to hopefully keep that heat in your living space, but even more can be helpful. A couple years ago I spent several evenings and weekends adding extra rolls of insulation in the attic and it really has made a difference, but I do know I could probably do more. We make use of the attic for storage as many people do, but even still there are places we could add insulation on top of what we already have there.

Evaluate

Evaluate air flow at possible leakage spots. you could carry a candle and use that to see where air currents are, or just use your hand and move over the edges of doors, windows, light switch and other outlet boxes. If you find one that’s drafty start planning how to insulate around it.

Safety with Space Heaters

I know this page is more about conservation, but please be VERY careful with space heaters to follow the instructions and keep them well away from any thing that could catch fire. Most that I’ve seen recommend at least 3 feet clearance on all sides!