The winter season is upon us, which means it’s time to don those layers and stay cozy at home! Unfortunately, older homes may experience drafts that aren’t only unpleasant but that could be costing you hundreds of dollars per month in compensated heat costs. This can be devastating to homeowners and renters. But, thankfully, it’s entirely avoidable.
Below are the top three tips you need to save on your heating bill this year. Your tenants will thank you!
1. Insulate your door seams
Everyone knows about door snakes, but they are a criminally underused way to ensure your properties are insulated. With regular use, the integrity of your door hinges and seams may wear down over time. This may be leading to the precious air that you and your tenant are paying to keep warm, and toasty could be leaking outside, and that frigid winter air could be replacing it! This is one of the fastest ways to sap your home heat and rack up those heating expenses.
Good news, though! There are so many easy ways to keep this from happening. You or your tenant may choose to invest in a pre-made door snake or even in lower-tech options – such as a DIY edition door snake made from old socks or a rolled-up towel. In either case, you will be enjoying a much warmer home. Buyer beware, however: if you choose to purchase a pre-made door snake, you may have adhesive residue remaining on your doors. So be cautious and patch-check any adhesive backing that may come with your door snake before committing to its use!
2. Insulate windows
As much as we love big widows where lots of natural light can shine through, it is important to know that windows act as large weak spots in your home’s insulation. These are some of the largest places cold can seep into your home – through the glass and around the seams, especially if the window is older. There are many at-home methods that you can use to keep the heat in and the cold out. For example, plastic sheeting can be shrink-wrapped against the windows for winter to help better insulate them. There are also plenty of decorative window clings available that let the light still come through but keep the warmth from escaping!
You might also upgrade your decor with something classic: Blackout curtains. Often used for those who work graveyard shifts, blackout curtains are great because your tenants can open the curtains and let the sunshine through and warm their home. But when night comes, you can shut the curtains and keep that daytime heat in all night long.
3. Capture golden rays from your rooftops
Even in the bleakest of winters, you can still rely on the sun to shine through…even when you can’t necessarily see it. With such a prominent natural resource, it seems foolish not to take full advantage and use it to put money back into your home (and your wallet, and THEIR wallets!) If your property has attic space where the underside of the roof is available, a fantastic way to do precisely that is to attach aluminum foil to the underside of the roof. The foil will conduct the warmth from the sun on the roof and help keep the home warm!
At PMI Realty Management NW, we want your home ownership experience to be as flawless as possible. So we’re happy to help and offer free resources and tips like these on our blog. For more information about what we can do for your home, contact us today at 406-629-1387.
