Winter-Proof Your Home and Save on Energy

Winter proofing ensures your home is safe and warm while going through the freeze. It also help you save on energy consumed by electric fireplaces or heaters and on the soaring cost of fireplace fuels. Energy saved is money saved.

Winter proofing prevent heat from escaping and cold from entering your house. Trapping the heat provides warmth longer, thus, your heaters and fireplaces do not need to work so hard generating heat and consume more energy or fuel.

Fix Damaged Areas and Weak Spots
Check your home and find locations where air can penetrate. It is possible that there are worn out and damaged areas somewhere around your house.

Find the weak spots because these can be ruined during the freeze and cold air gets a chance to get in. It may be too late to notice these when the worst of the winter strikes. Before the problems come, take actions to prevent them. Repair and reinforce any weak spots you can find.

Protect the Pipes
Pipes are also an easy target of the freezing winter. When not protected, the water on the pipes will be frozen and would create a pressure that would eventually break it. Protect the exposed pipes outside the house with insulation sleeves. Then do the opposite inside the house. Expose the pipes so that they can get some warm air preventing the freeze. It is also helpful if you can keep a tiny flow of water on your faucet. This allows water to run through the pipes, a little help to prevent the freezing.

Prevent Ice Dams
Ice dams formed when ice melts at the top of the roof and flows down and hardens again at the edge of the roof or gutter. As the water continuously flow, they can be trapped at the ice dam then seeps under the shingles and find its way inside the house.

To prevent this, you should keep the top roof surface cold or at the same temperature as the outside. Insulate well the roof. If you have an upper room or attic, you should consider preventing the heat from accumulating in that area. Keep the room ventilated.

These task is considerably a must to ensure you'll have a livable home during winter. So when preparing your backyard patio and protecting your outdoor furniture, do not forget to prepare your indoors as well. Get a heating appliances such as electric or gel fireplaces if you cannot get or build a wood burning fireplace. You can also find portable heater stoves and patio heaters if you need something mobile.