Do you know any cheap ways to winterize my house?

[femalephish]

I live in Maine and it's really cold. Last year we just kept the house cooler but with the baby that's not an option. Does anyone know some cheap ways to make my house warmer? What's worked for you?

Thanks!

[doubledutch]

we put the window plastic up over our windows. it's $15 for a package that does 5 3x5 windows. i ended up using two packages for the majority of our house (didn't want/need all windows covered). $30 isn't exactly cheap but it should save more than $30 in heating costs. some people use bubble wrap that they get for free (try craigslist) but you still have to buy tape, and it obviously wouldn't look as nice.

other window coverings also help. we dont' have curtains on most of our windows. on the worst drafty windows in our house, i tacked pretty fabric over the whole thing (with the tacks going into the top of the window trim so there are no holes showing). is it, ahem, tacky? maybe. i don't care. it helps. if you don't want it to look like that, you could just put it up at night (when temps are colder).

caulking around the windows on the outside also helps, but i don't know if it's too late for that. and i've never done it.

another idea is to keep your central heat turned down (to 60 or whatever you think is best) and use a space heater to warm up just the part of the house you're in.

change (or clean, if it's that kind) the furnace filter every month.

if you have hard floors, put down rugs.

[dillonandmarasmom]

Our home is old and drafty. DH used a foam that can be picked up at any hardware store to fill in ANY space that allowed air flow. For example, we removed all of the outlet covers and sprayed the foam around the actual outlet inside the wall. We also filled in any gaps around windows with the same stuff. You can also replace weather stripping around doors pretty cheaply and easily.

[HSMOM3]

Originally Posted by dillonandmarasmom

Our home is old and drafty. DH used a foam that can be picked up at any hardware store to fill in ANY space that allowed air flow. For example, we removed all of the outlet covers and sprayed the foam around the actual outlet inside the wall. We also filled in any gaps around windows with the same stuff. You can also replace weather stripping around doors pretty cheaply and easily.

Ours too. We are still trying to figure out all the tiny places where the draft is coming in so we can try and prevent it.

[bluebunny]

Can you hang heavy curtains or quilts over windows? Put draft stoppers, like this:


Ohttp://www.solutions.com/jump.jsp?it...roductID=10831

Or tubes of stuffed fabric you can make yourself.

[bigteamug]

Check here for big air leaks:

http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partner...e_May_2008.pdf

This will guide you a little in where the heat might be going, give you an idea anyways.

Other cheap ones -use incense carefully, don't burn your curtains! to go around and find drafts around windows, exterior outlets, etc. Outlet covers are another cheap, easy fix - just be sure to turn off the power first at the breaker box (I got a scary reminder of this the other day.....).

Remember that many of these fixes might be ones that qualify for that energy tax credit.....

Look into energy help locally - many utilities and local governments have help for this stuff, esp for low to mid income (we missed the mark by, like, $1000). There might also be rebates, no-interest loans, etc. - and some of these things do apply to renters, too:

http://www.efficiencymaine.com/resid...ograms_mhp.htm

or this:

http://www.mainehousing.org/PROGRAMS...x?ProgramID=49

Call your utility and ask, and other places, too - you might be surprised. Sometimes they even do the work for you....

[Juvysen]

maybe someone said this, but see if you can cover the vents to the bedrooms (or rooms you don't use) during the day. Sometimes heavy curtains hung between rooms can block off rooms that you don't need to heat...

[hillymum]

Originally Posted by doubledutch

caulking around the windows on the outside also helps, but i don't know if it's too late for that. and i've never done it.
.

Caulking around the inside of the window will also make a huge difference. Basically stop as many drafts as possible.

If you do not have curtains you can nail wool (or any other heavy fabric) blankets over the window. Holes can be filled in once you take them down.

Close off rooms not in use. Cover all vents in those rooms. (I have taken the covers off and covered the vent with duct tape, then replaced the cover, so no one can see the vent has been perminently covered.)

Only cover intake vents in room that are to be closed off ie left to be left cold. You only want warm air to be circulated.

[MariesMama]

dillonandmarasmom - how exactly do you use the foam in the outlets? I rent, but have a ton of outlets that leak air like crazy. I just take the covers off, spray, and put them back? It won't cause any problems?

ITA with the window plastic.

I have a leaky front door that I actually moved furniture in front of due to the jamb not being square and therefore weatherstripping wasn't cutting it. I might foam caulk it too, we just use the kitchen door.

[Juvysen]

Originally Posted by MariesMama

dillonandmarasmom - how exactly do you use the foam in the outlets? I rent, but have a ton of outlets that leak air like crazy. I just take the covers off, spray, and put them back? It won't cause any problems?

ITA with the window plastic.

I have a leaky front door that I actually moved furniture in front of due to the jamb not being square and therefore weatherstripping wasn't cutting it. I might foam caulk it too, we just use the kitchen door.

you can buy foam strips for winterizing the door... there's a sticky backing on them that just peels off and you stick it around the door, iirc. Might be an easier solution to change if you get a different idea later (or want to replace your door).

ETA... my mom also bought this bubble-wrap-like stuff that's used (I think?) for insulating pipes and things. it looks like bubble wrap that's been covered on both sides with foil. She covered the doors with it in the winter... especially the front door that was mostly glass. She also used it for the windows at night and when we weren't home. She just cut panels of it to the size/shape of the windows and put stick-on velcro on the corners as well as the corners of the windows, so she could pop them off during the day when she wanted light and back on at night when we needed the extra insulation. They also insulated the interior door between the house and the garage with it and also used some sort of thick foam stuff that they nailed to the wall between the garage and the house to keep it a bit warmer in between.

[HeatherAtHome]

We piled snow around our foundation last week and it has made a huge difference. My parents came to visit yesterday and said it felt much warmer (with shock and surprise in their voice ). I've noticed the heat coming on less too. I talk about it more here.

[Chicky2]

Brrrr! I'm in N. Texas and we usually don't get this cold, for this long. I stayed up last night hanging blankets over doors and putting towels in all the windowsills and at the bottom of doors. We live in a manufactured home. It's a Solitaire, so really nice and for all other purposes it is actually considered a 'stick built' home. But we are still up off the ground, and the cold air just whips around under there. My dh spent the last 2 nights under the house insulating some exposed pipes he found. I've got a nice roaring fire going, and everyone has to wear shoes, lol. The tile is soooo cold!

I was much more worried about our livestock.

[magpie mamma]

[QUOTE=MariesMama;14892384]dillonandmarasmom - how exactly do you use the foam in the outlets? I rent, but have a ton of outlets that leak air like crazy. I just take the covers off, spray, and put them back? It won't cause any problems?


There are little thin foam rectangles that you can install that are neater than the fspray foam, just remove the cover, put the foam piece over it, it has holes for the plugs and re-attach the cover. For added draft protection, use simple child proof, (although not so effective at child proofing) they do block out drafts too. I think you can find these at most big box stores and hardware stores. Good luck!

[RosemaryS-F]

If you have a financial hardship or are low income your area probably has an assistance program (often a non profit.) They are hard to find and many hoops a lot of the time, but this is our second year getting about $800/year assistance with fuel costs. It saves the day.