Winter’s Worst Home Energy Efficiency Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Winter is just around the corner, and with it comes the need to prepare your home for the impending cold weather. Now’s the time to get started on projects to improve your home energy efficiency. The biggest mistake you can make this season is being unprepared. Here are some of the other common mistakes people make in preparing for winter and what you can do to avoid them.

Insufficient insulation

Most people know that insulation is an important factor when it comes to improving home energy efficiency. It slows the flow of heat through your home, allowing your furnace to make things comfortable more efficiently. But the common insulation mistake is assuming you have enough. Check your attic. If your insulation doesn’t extend past your rim joists, you need more. You can also insulate your walls to reduce drafts, as well as your floors.

Neglected gutters

As leaves fall from the trees, many of them end up in your gutters. Cleaning them can be a hassle, but it has to be done. With debris in your gutters, they can’t drain properly, causing water to pool inside them. When the water freezes, it can cause ice dams: a buildup of ice that blocks off your gutters entirely. As the ice accumulates, it weighs them down and can eventually cause them to fall and break.

Air leaks

One of the most important things you can do this fall is to have your home checked for air leaks. If cold air is getting into your home from outside, it will work against your furnace, reducing your home energy efficiency. Schedule an appointment with an HVAC technician to test your home and show you where the air leaks are and what to do about them. Air leaks through windows and under doors can be prevented with weatherstripping, while leaks in walls, baseboards and other places can be fixed with caulking or expanding foam.

For more tips on improving home energy efficiency, as well as general HVAC advice, contact our experts at Sobieski Services.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Wilmington, Delaware and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).

Image Credit: MGShelton