Winter-proofing your home

Take inventory of windows and doors

When in the dead of winter, there’s nothing better than coming in from the cold to a nice, warm, cosy home. during the cold season, your furnace is probably working overtime to keep your home comfortable — but if you don’t address weak points in your home’s building envelope — you could be making your system work that much harder.

You don’t want to feel winter’s chill while sitting at home. If you’re having trouble keeping your home warm, it could be because the cold has found a way to creep into the home. your job is to find those entry points, seal them, and keep the warm air in, and the cold air out. Here’s how.

CHECKING YOUR DOORS

A weak door can be a major source of heat loss. So what are you looking for? Check the door for any cracks — it doesn’t take much for the cold to seep through. Check the weatherstripping along the door, keeping an eye out for any gaps. If any is missing, pull out the old stuff entirely and replace it with new. Finally, make sure the hinges on the door are tight, and the door itself is a snug fit in its threshold.

Adding a storm door to your entryways can also help keep the home warmer. The gap between the storm door and the entry door adds an extra layer of defence against the cold. It helps create a thermal barrier that keeps the cold air outside, and the warm air inside your home.

INSPECTING YOUR WINDOWS

Drafts occur in your home wherever there are gaps in the external building envelope. Poor windows are a major source of drafts in the home — and drafts can account for upward of 30 per cent of a home’s heat loss! So what do you look for with windows?

If you see condensation building up in the windows, or you see water pooling in the windowsill it could mean the windows are no good. One potential cause of this is if the warm air from inside is meeting that cool outdoor air and creating condensation. If this is due to a bad seal, or old windows, unfortunately, the solution is to replace the windows — and that’s not a cheap job.

If you see water in the sill, don’t immediately think it’s a case of bad windows — it could be due to the humidifier in your home being set too high.

When replacing your windows, your installer needs to take the windows down to the stud and repair any deficiencies in the framing as well. There could be a lack of insulation in the framing (common in older homes), or other issues that need attention. This is an expensive job, so it needs to be done right.

Try giving your windows a little shake. If they rattle around, chances are the frames aren’t very secure. If the windows have been replaced recently, you’d think that wouldn’t be a problem, but if the installer didn’t repair the framing, those new windows could be expensive, drafty pieces of glass.

You should be inspecting your windows every fall and spring for missing or broken caulking around the windows. If the windows are in good shape, replacing the old, worn out caulking can go a long way to cutting down excess drafts in your home.

INVISIBLE ENTRY POINTS

There are plenty of other entry points for cold air that you may not be able to see with your own eyes. Insufficient insulation behind the walls or in the attic could be making the home colder than it needs to be.

Does your home have a crawl space? It’s possible the cold air is coming from below the house.

While the floor over the crawl space may never be quite as warm as other floors in the house, if it feels exceptionally cold, it could mean the space isn’t insulated enough.

What’s the best way to find these hidden cold spots? An energy audit will typically cost a homeowner between $300-$500, but a pro will be able to use all the tools in their kit to determine the energy efficiency of your home, as well as provide you a plan of action for making your home airtight. This will be a great list for you to have to help you prioritize your home renovation plans for the next few years, and help take the sting out of your monthly energy bills.

THERE ARE PLENTY OF ENTRY POINTS FOR COLD AIR THAT YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE.

To find out more about Mike Holmes, visit makeitright.ca