The winter months in Canada are cold, dangerous, and expensive. Stay cozy and cost-effective this wintertime by following our Winter Guide for Saving Energy:
Use a rug to hold the heat
Tile, hardwood, and laminate flooring do one thing great during the winter months: stay cold! Avoid frozen feet this year by utilizing some area rugs in rooms that have cold floors.
Open all air vents
Do you find that one room is chillier than all the others? Make sure to open all air vents and if you are still experiencing trouble, consider having your ducts cleaned for maximum air flow.
Check your door’s insulation
One of the most common reasons for heat loss is a poorly insulated exterior door, test your door’s insulation by feeling for a draft around the seam of the door. If you feel air blasting through the seams OR if it feels like the air is being sucked through the door’s seal than you should definitely look into having your door re-sealed; both occurrences mean your home is losing heat.
Close your chimney’s damper when not in use
If you have a fireplace than don’t forget to close the chimney damper when it is not in use! Heat rises, and if that damper is open you are letting most, if not all of the heat in your home escape.
Keep your garage door closed
If your garage is attached to your home, keep it closed! This way you aren’t losing so much heat when you go from house to garage or vice versa.
Embrace the sun!
Take advantage of the sun’s natural heating abilities, open your blinds on sunny days and bask in the free heat!
Cover drafty windows
Discovering an air leak when it’s already mid-winter is not ideal, it is probably too late to have it properly sealed! For the time being, use a thick sheet of clear plastic to cover any windows that are causing heat loss.
Set your thermostat low when you leave
When nobody is around to hear the furnace turn on, does it really turn on? Yes! Turn the temperature down when you leave the home and stop wasting money!
Use LEDs when decorating for Christmas
How long have you had your Christmas lights? Well if you haven’t purchased new lights in 20 years, it’s time to switch to LEDs! These are much more efficient than traditional Christmas lights and are much safer!
Make sure furnace filter is clean
Before each season it is recommended that you change your furnace filter, even when it is not running in heat, the fan will run and blow household dust/debris into the filter. Change it now so you have adequate heating this winter!
