How to keep the cold out, and money savings in

As we move into winter, we’ll be depending on our heating systems more — and if your home is losing heat, you will start to notice it on your monthly bills.

The goal of energy efficiency in a home is to reduce the total amount of energy required to maintain a set temperature inside. Proper building techniques, better products and regular maintenance can all be used to improve energy efficiency.

The best way to minimize heat loss and increase energy efficiency is by improving the building envelope — that includes your exterior walls, windows, doors, roof and foundation. Vapour barriers must be properly sealed to prevent air movement and drafts. Maximize insulation and increase the R-value (a material’s resistance to heat loss) to reduce the rate hot air moves to cold, and ensure all products between warm and cold zones contain thermal barrier properties.

How do you know if your home is losing heat? One way is by waiting until it snows and seeing if you have any melted patches on your roof. But thanks to advancements in technology you don’t have to wait to see it on your roof or on your heating bill.

For example, you can get an energy audit or a home inspection that includes thermography — that’s when the inspector uses thermal imaging to detect temperature variations on the surface of walls, ceilings, around windows and doors, over electrical panels. Cold spots can indicate heat loss and/or missing insulation.

If heat is leaking through your ceiling it’s typically because there isn’t enough insulation in the attic, or the vapour barrier isn’t properly sealed. Pot lights, or recessed lighting installed on the top floor of your home, can also lead to heat loss. Every pot light is a hole in your ceiling. Heat will escape if there isn’t enough insulation around each pot light.

Heat can also escape through your windows and doors, which should be providing some level of insulation. You know you have bad windows if they’re constantly fogging up.

Low-E glass has a microscopic metallic coating that blocks UV rays but lets in light. It also helps stop heat transfer. Other windows have an inert gas — usually argon — but more expensive windows might have krypton gas. Both do a good job of minimizing heat transfer.

The framing around your windows and doors has to be in good condition, too. You should check the caulking around all your windows and doors every year — also around wall openings for plumbing and venting.

If the caulking is shrinking or cracking, it must be replaced. Rubberized caulking is best for outdoors because it lasts longer and it’s flexible, so it moves with the natural expansion and contraction of the house.

Any gaps wider than half an inch should be filled with expanding spray foam. The seal and weatherstripping on doors and windows should also be replaced to help stop cold drafts. .