If the recent sub-zero conditions earlier this week had you shivering in your home, wondering if your heat was just escaping left and right, this weekend could be the time to troubleshoot!
Especially with temperatures feeling warmer, if you could call upper 40s warmer!
From drafty doorways to windows, it seems the recent bone-chilling temperatures took their turn not only on our bodies, but also might have shown where our homes are falling short when it comes to coping with Mother Nature.
If the recent negative temperatures brought out the worst in your house, now could be the time to combat that cold incase those nearly sub-zero conditions return this winter.
For some helpful household hints, we turned to Lowe’s in the Bloomsburg area. Home improvement pros gave us some ideas to help find areas where heat might be escaping your house.
Potential problem spots to test first: our windows and doors.
"Put a dollar bill between the jam and the door. If the dollar bill comes out easily, you’re losing energy,” said Bobby String.
To fix it, the pros say re-weather strip the door. Maybe even add a draft stop to the bottom of it. If none of that works, it might be time to think about replacing the door itself.
Now as for your windows, you can use the same dollar bill test.
If you’re having an issue with drafty windows, one product on the market that a lot of home improvement stores carry, including this one here in the Bloomsburg area, is a window insulation kit.
It runs for about $13.
it includes double sided tape, shrink wrap, and all you need is a hair dryer to mold it to the window and it claims to help you save a chunk of change in the colder months.
Other spots home improvement gurus say is often overlooked are electrical outlets, since sometimes cold air can make its way through the exterior walls. The pros say to test for it, wet your hand and wave it over the outlet a few times, if you feel cold air think about using an easy spray insulation that comes in a can like this one.
"That’ll keep the airflow from coming into your home," said String.
And one other place to take a second look at: your home heating system.
"Another quick fix, being energy efficient, replacing your furnace filter every six months. Very simply that’s going to cut down on your furnace working harder because that does get clogged over the year whether by dust, pets," added String.