(BPT) – Do you shudder at the thought of shivering through another frigid winter? Now may be an opportune time to consider investing in some energy efficient winterizing projects to let your home stay comfortable throughout the colder months. By investing in several simple, yet cost-effective measures, you can reap both immediate and long-term benefits.
While instinct may urge you to increase the heat during winter and keep your home toasty all day long, that’s not always cost-effective. Investing in a programmable thermostat allows you to adjust the temperature remotely, lowering the setting when the house is empty, and save money in the process. Modern thermostats let you monitor the indoor temperature of your home via your smart phone or online. By keeping the temperature low when no one is home and programming the thermostat to increase the temperature when everyone returns, you could notice a 10 percent drop in your heating costs.
Fall is also an ideal time to ensure your furnace is functioning optimally. Schedule an appointment for a professional to inspect and clean your furnace once a year. By doing so, you’ll help your furnace function more effectively and last longer.
If ice damming on the roof is an annual problem, consider taking measures to reduce the risk of ice dams forming. Major damage can result from ice damming, so it’s never too early to start thinking about a long-term solution. Ice damming occurs when warm, indoor air escaping through the roof melts snow on the shingles. The water then refreezes as it runs off the roof, creating a barrier of ice at the edge. Shovelling snow or chipping ice away can threaten life, limb and roof, so it’s best to consider more permanent solutions.
While caulking or weather-stripping can help address the gaps allowing the air to escape, proper air sealing insulation and attic venting are the best methods to stop ice damming from occurring. Spray foam insulation is one modern material that both insulates and seals to reduce the risk of ice damming. Installed by professionals, spray foam insulation, like that available from Icynene, works well in all climates to limit air leakage and help maintain an even, comfortable temperature in the living areas of a home.
As a long-term solution, spray foam insulation helps maintain a comfortable temperature year round while helping to control monthly heating and cooling expenses. Thanks to spray foam insulation’s air-sealing qualities, homeowners can reduce the size of their heating and cooling equipment since less effort is required to heat or cool the home.
While air leakage can cause heating and cooling bills to jump and ice damming to occur, a well-insulated home and economical winterizing can help you get through the cold winter months.
Spray foam insulation is not a DIY product, so it’s important to ensure that you work with a trained and licensed spray foam contractor to ensure that the foam is installed safely and properly. A licensed professional will walk you through the process from beginning to end and give you confidence that you’ve invested in a high performance energy efficient solution that pays back year over year in savings.
Icynene recently released a comprehensive home insulation mobile app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, to allow homeowners understand where air leaks can occur in their home as well as how a modern insulation material like spray foam can help make a difference.
More information about Icynene spray foam insulation can be found at Icynene.com.