Unique Ways to Keep Your House Insulated in All Weathers

By: John Garcia | Date Posted: September 16, 2022

Your house is your haven. When you’re warm, it’s a place of comfort and safety. When you’re cold, it’s where you seek warmth. Hence, you use heating and cooling systems to adjust the temperature of your house.

However, this can be costly for you in terms of utility bills and the environment. Heating and cooling account for 50 to 70% of the energy used in the average American home. Insulation can help reduce this.

Fortunately for you, there are many ways to keep your house insulated from the elements so that it always feels like a haven from the outside world. The best part is that these tricks don’t require significant work or repairs. All you need is time and willingness to do things yourself.

Add Weatherstripping to Your Windows and Doors

Weather stripping is a great way to help keep your home warm and toasty in the winter and cool and comfortable in the summer. It’s not just an aesthetic choice. It can make a big difference in how well your home keeps out the elements.

When you open or close a door or window without weather stripping around its edges, it creates an opening where there was once none, and air can come rushing through.

Weatherstripping closes this gap so that wind and moisture cannot get through as quickly. This helps prevent drafts from coming into your home, which can save you money on energy bills. It’s also great for keeping out insects and other pests that may be looking for a warm place to nest.

Weatherstripping is available in many forms, from flexible foam strips that can be cut to fit around windows or doors to rigid plastic strips that fit snugly into grooves around the edges of doors or windows. The latter is more effective at blocking drafts than their flexible counterparts, but they’re also more difficult to install yourself.

Use Window Screens

You may not know it, but window screens help keep your house insulated in all weather. Yes, they keep bugs out and help keep the heat in during winter, but they also do the exact opposite during summer. In other words, when it’s hot outside, and you want to let some air circulate through your home while keeping those pesky mosquitos at bay, all you have to do is open up a window with a screen on it.

They’re easy to install, too. Just measure each opening before ordering one online and ensure it fits smoothly without gaps between its mesh fabric and any part of your siding or trim work inside.

Multiple types of window screens are available, from standard fiberglass to aluminum, from Florida glass privacy screens to copper bronze windows. Check here for more details about different types of window screen meshes. Once you have the detailed knowledge, you can select the window screen mesh based on your preferences and requirements.

Install an Attic Fan

Attic Fan

An attic fan is a powerful machine that sucks hot air out of your attic and vents it outside, helping to keep your home cool in the summer. It’s typically more efficient than other insulation methods, like adding more insulation or using weatherstripping around windows and doors.

Installing an attic fan usually costs about $600, though you can find them for less if you shop around online. There are many different options available that come in all price ranges.

If you want to save even more money on energy bills, consider installing an integrated daylighting system and your new attic fan. This will allow natural light from skylights or windows above the ceiling into the living space below during daytime hours while also keeping temperatures down by allowing hot air out of the house through a ductless ventilation system (which will also pump fresh air back inside).

The energy.gov emphasizes using attic fans for ventilation as well. Hence, the demand for attic fans has increased, leading to a 7.6% CAGR market growth until 2025.

Control the Temperature With a Programmable Thermostat

Control the Temperature With a Programmable Thermostat

A smart programmable thermostat is a device that lets you control the temperature in your home from anywhere using an app on your phone or tablet. The device may look like a regular thermostat, but it has some extra features that make it more efficient and user-friendly than other models.

Set your thermostat to a comfortable temperature. This is the most crucial step, as it will determine how energy efficient your home will be. Set the temperature at or below 68 degrees when you’re out of the house, and then increase it whenever you get home to keep your house warm throughout the day.

Use timers to control heating and cooling costs. Energy Star-certified smart thermostats can help save on average 8% on heating or cooling on your bill. Thus, you can save on your utility bills while ensuring a comfortable environment in your home.

Install Radiant Barriers

Radiant barrier insulation is an energy-efficient, cost-effective way to save money on your heating and cooling bills. They can save up to 10% in cooling costs.

Radiant barriers are made from aluminum foil, which reflects heat into the room. They work by reflecting radiant heat into a room instead of allowing it to pass through the walls and windows as it would without a radiant barrier. This prevents the sun’s rays from entering your home and heating your rooms.

Radiant barriers can be installed on the inside of your walls or over your attic floor, depending on what type of insulation you have in place already. Once installed, these reflective sheets will help keep your house warmer in winter and cooler in summer by retaining the heat in your home during the winter months and reflecting some of it during hot summer days when windows are open for air circulation purposes only.

Hang Up Heavy Curtains

Heavy curtains are an excellent option if you’re looking for a way to keep the heat in and cold out. Heavy curtains have insulation properties that will help to keep your house warm in winter and cool in summer.

That is because they trap air between the layers of cloth, preventing it from escaping. It means that even though it’s cold outside, you can still feel comfortable sitting by the window without having to turn up the heat.

And if any light comes through your windows during sunrise or sunset hours, then curtains made of thick material (such as velvet) will stop this light from reaching inside while still allowing enough sun into your home so that plants don’t die off due to lack thereof. The suitable drapes can help reduce heat gain in your home by up to 33%.

Final Words

There are many unique ways to insulate your house and save on utility bills. You might think the difference made is smaller, but it can accumulate in thousands of dollars over the long run. Hopefully, the tips mentioned in this guide will help you insulate your home appropriately and give you a comfortable environment to relax.

Thank you for reading!

John
 

John is the founder and chief editor of Homienjoy. With over 15 years of experience in the home improvement industry, John is passionate about helping homeowners confidently tackle their projects. Holding a civil engineering degree and working as a contractor, project manager, and consultant, John brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Homienjoy community.

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 0 comments