In addition to
tightening up your home's exterior, you can also make a difference in
energy efficiency with a few interior adjustments:
- Insulate water pipes in unheated areas to protect against freezing
and to save energy.
Insulation can be as basic, and as inexpensive, as newspaper
bundled around the pipes and tied with string. But it's better to
wrap pipes with insulation tape or to encase pipes with perforated
plastic foam. While tape tends to be less expensive than plastic
foam, it's more time consuming to apply. Two other options include
standard blanket insulation wrapped with duct tape or an insulating
liquid, which can be messy.
If you're extremely concerned that a particular pipe will freeze,
wrap it with an electric heat cable, which prevents freezing even
with icy temperatures of 20 degrees or more below zero. This option
uses a good deal of electricity and can be costly.
- Clean up your fireplace and chimney. Before winter has you
reaching for some seasoned logs, hire a chimney sweep to inspect
your chimney flue and clean it if necessary. Make sure the flue's
seal is good -- a drafty chimney is a wintertime no-no.
- Have your furnace checked. Don't let temperatures plunge before a
professional heating contractor inspects your oil-burning unit, heat
pump, or radiator (annually) or your gas-fired or electric furnace
(every two to three years). In addition, ask the inspector how you
can best maintain your system year-round.
- Now is the perfect time to have your water heater's tank
pressure and temperature relief valve inspected. You should also
drain off water through the valve at the bottom of the tank until no
sediment shows. Be sure to lower the temperature of the thermostat
several hours before doing this to avoid scalds.
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