5 Sneaky Reasons Your Winter Home Is Hard To Heat
Some people see snow and dips in temperature and they get excited, but if you live in a home that costs you a fortune to heat in the coldest months of the year, chances are you are dreading even the thought of turning your heat on. While it is always important to ensure your heat system is working properly before winter starts with a regular maintenance check by a heating repair professional, you should also be looking at the other factors that could be making your home colder than it could be. Here is a quick look at a few sneaky reasons why your winter home is not staying as warm as you would like it to be.
Your crawlspace is not insulated.
Most people spend a great deal of time checking around the house before winter sets in to find drafts. However, they fail to pay attention to what is just below their feet. Cold air can easily slip its way into the house through the floor if you have a crawlspace that is not completely blocked off from the outdoors and floors that are not insulated from beneath. Grab a flashlight and take a look at the underbelly of your house. If there is no insulation hugging the bottom, go ahead and have some installed.
Your attic is not well insulated.
Just as you should be checking down below, you should also be looking up in the attic for poor insulation. Not only should the underside of the roof be insulated, but also the floors of your attic if this is not a space you normally keep heated; that warm heat from inside your functional home could be slipping into the attic where it is not even needed.
Your home's insulation is not good quality or outdated.
Just like every other construction component, insulation has totally changed over the years to be even more efficient. If you are positive the rest of your home is well sealed and protected and the house still feels drafty, it could mean the insulation in your walls is not up to today's standards. Examine carefully with your hands and feel for drafty spots on the walls, especially around outlets and the trim. Also, pay close attention to exterior walls that feel cold and have condensation build up when it is especially cold outside, as both of these are signs of needing new insulation.
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