(BPT) – Cooler seasonal temperatures can have an impact on not only your home, but also your wallet. Along with adjusting your thermostat as the cooler weather embraces much of the country, weatherizing your home also has a direct impact on the amount of energy required to maintain a comfortable temperature indoors. Follow these five easy DIY home weatherizing tips to increase your home’s energy efficiency and lower the utility bill each month.
Turn on the humidifier. Increasing the humidity in your home during the cooler months adds moisture to your living space. This raises the “heat index,” making 68 degrees feel more like 76 degrees. Be sure to maintain a relative humidity in the home between 20 to 40 percent. As the temperature outside drops, lower this percentage so condensation does not form on the windows.
Seal the gaps. Areas such as windows, doors, attic hatches, vents and other seasonally-used areas are prime sources for air leaks, which can cause energy bills to skyrocket. To help maintain a controlled climate inside the home and prevent air from leaking in or escaping, weatherize these areas of your home by using a temporary sealant.DAP Seal ‘N Peel is an all-season, removable weather-stripping sealant you can easily apply to seal holes, cracks and gaps where air can pass through. It’s also waterproof, low in odor and dries to a clear finish. And when spring comes and you want to remove it, it peels away easily and cleanly, leaving behind no residue.
Add extra insulation to all areas of your home. Adding insulation to your home reduces energy usage and increases comfort. If your home uses less than 12 inches of insulation, chances are heat is escaping. Add insulation in the attic to prevent warm air from escaping. Also consider adding insulation in crawl spaces, under floors and against basement walls to stop the transfer of cold through the house.
Run your fan in the proper direction. There are layers of air in every living space that vary in degree of temperature. Because the warmest air is closest to the ceiling, running your ceiling fan in a clockwise direction in the winter months pushes the warm air up against the ceiling and then down the walls. This recirculates warm air through the room without a cool breeze and offsets the workload of the HVAC, lowering heat costs by as much as 10 percent.
Get a home energy audit. If you’ve completed the four tasks above and your energy bill is still unusually high, it might be time to request a home energy audit to pinpoint problem areas in your home. This will help identify the problem areas and help you make the necessary improvements for an efficient home. In fact, you could save 5 to 30 percent on your energy bill by repairing issues found in a home energy audit, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Bonus tip!
Invest in a programmable thermostat. Prevent working your heating equipment overtime by installing a programmable thermostat to automatically raise and lower the air temperature based on the time of day or if you’re away from home. By turning your thermostat back even eight degrees for eight hours a day, you can save as much as 10 percent on your annual heating costs.
Why make your heating and cooling systems work harder than they have to each year? By taking steps to properly weatherize your home and increase its efficiency, you’re able to maintain a comfortable interior more easily, and save money in the meantime. To find the DAP Seal ‘N Peel and more DAP products to use in home DIY projects, visit www.dap.com.