With the ever increasing price of electricity and heating fuel, a brutally cold winter takes serious money out of a homeowner’s pocketbook. Winterizing an older home keeps the cold air out and holds the warm air in. Winterizing a drafty older home can easily save the cost of the materials in a single season. Most weather-proofing projects do not need professional contractors and can be easily completed in a few hours.
Steps to Winterize an Older Home:
1) Seal each of the older home’s windows with plastic sheeting. Measure the height and width of a window, then add two inches to each measurement. Transfer the total measurements to a piece of plastic sheeting and cut the plastic to size with scissors. Center a piece of duct tape across the sheeting’s sides. Press the plastic sheeting’s top side against the edge of the window’s recess. Press the duct tape on the plastic sheeting’s other three sides to the older home’s window recess, keeping the plastic sheeting off the window itself. The air pocket between the window and the plastic provides a thermal barrier. If the plastic touches the glass, then the cold temperature of the glass will transfer into the room. Do not forget to cover basement windows.
2) Inspect the older home’s exterior siding for draft-causing gaps or cracks. Do not forget to check the space between the old home’s foundation and the siding. Cracks and gaps let cold gusts of wind enter the exterior wall’s voids. The void in the wall acts like a duct, directing the cold air through the home. Winterize cracks less than 1/4-inch-wide with an exterior caulking. Fill gaps larger than 1/4-inch-wide with an expanding foam. Filling cracks and gaps also stops damaging water intrusion into the walls or basement.
3) Replace damaged weather proofing around the exterior doors. Close the older home’s exterior doors and look for light along the seams. An adhesive-backed foam insulation can be applied directly to the door stop, the narrow strip of wood that runs along the center on the door’s top and two sides. Many thresholds have a replaceable rubber insert that slides along a groove.
4) Insulate the floor trusses between the first floor and the basement. Cold air from the basement will seep through the flooring boards during winter. Use batt insulation and seal the batt’s paper flanges to the bottom of the floor trusses.
5) Inspect the attic’s insulation and add insulation as needed. Blown-in insulation often settles after a few years, losing its R-rating.
6) Adding storm doors can increase the energy efficiency of an older home. Mount the storm door to the older home’s main door. Follow the storm door manufacturer’s installation instructions. In some cases, the amount of energy saved winterizing with a storm door will not make up for its cost.
7) Cover water pipes with foam pipe insulation. Insulating water pipes reduces the water heater’s workload. This can prevent the pipes from freezing, saving a huge expense later. Foam pipe insulation has a slit down its center that wraps around the water pipe.
8) Winterize unused rooms. Close the unused room’s heating vent. Close the room’s curtains. Close the door and stuff a cloth between the older home’s floor and the bottom of the unused room’s door. The room can be opened for future use, if needed.
Winterizing an older home lowers its energy cost and maintains a comfortable living condition without wasting money. The savings add up over time. Some of the winterizing tips save money year after year. Remember, its better to keep the savings for something important, such as a trip to Florida in January.