Simple Ways to Keep The Heat In Your Home
By: Stuart Fendor

Many people find cold winters almost unbearable, and if you have a cold house it can be awful and uncomfortable. Many people hate turning up the heat due to increasing energy costs, but it seems the only alternative is to suffer. No so. Your home may be either producing heat inefficiently or it may be allowing heat to escape. Keeping your house toasty and warm may be easier than you think.

If your heat is turned up high, but you always feel chilled anyway, you may have a problem with air leaks that are letting the heat out and the cold in. Check each room of your house; are some rooms colder than others? If you notice that they are, try checking to see if any doors that lead to the outside (as well as the windows in the room) seem to have a draft.

There exist many low cost options that address the problem of draft. Options such as rope caulk and door sweeps are cost effective and fix the problem speedily. Rope caulk is used to seal up windows and door sweeps address the issue of draft that may be entering from underneath the door. Both are very economical yet very effective tools.

Another inlet for cold air is the chimney. A chimney that is open all winter long allows heat to escape and cold air into the house. If drafts are not caused by doors and windows then the chimney could be the culprit. A precaution to take is to close up the chimney when the fireplace is not in use. This small precaution can make an immediate difference to heat retention.

Sunshine is a great source of natural warmth, so if the sun is shining open up curtains to let it in. You might be surprised at how much heat is generated by doing such a simple thing, and the best part is its free! You can see how solar paneling would easily be able to generate enough energy to heat a house.

If rising energy costs are a concern but you still want a toasty warm house, consider purchasing a programmable thermostat. These inventions are brilliant. With a simple setting you can automatically program the thermostat to lower the temperature at night when you're in bed with blankets. Then, program it to rise right before you wake up. This way your house is nice and cozy, but you save a lot on your heating bill. The cost of the new thermostat will pay for itself in heat savings.

Heat may also be lost to an unfinished basement. You may wonder how this can be if it's closed off from the rest of the house, but where is your water heater? It may be losing heat before it even gets into the rest of your house. You can purchase inexpensive outer casings to protect heat loss.

Having tried all this, if the house continues to be cold, then it is time to get the insulation checked. An expert can check if the insulation is doing its job. Looking around and shopping for different contractors could get you a good deal that does not cost the roof. Good insulation is instrumental in keeping the house warm and results in reduced heating costs.

No one likes to be uncomfortable or cold in the winter, but keeping your home cozy and warm doesn't have to bankrupt you each year. Try these suggestions and you may be surprised at the difference it makes.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleJoe.com

About the author: Stuart Fendor is the proprietor of FL Heat, the best place on the internet when you're after fresh up to date advice and comment to do with Heat. For more articles on Heat why not visit: www.flheat.com/articles Why not sign up for our free Heat newsletter at: www.flheat.com/newsletters
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