The fall season is blowing by and winter will be here before you know it. Soon, the leaves will be falling off of the trees, temperatures are going to be dropping even more, and snow may even be on the radar, depending on where you live. Winter and the holiday season is a beautiful time of year, but one of the biggest drawbacks to cold weather can be your energy bill.
How much were you spending last year on your utility bill? Heating your house, townhome or apartment can be really expensive, especially if you are in an area with brutal or harsh winters. The good news is, there are some simple, quick, and effective ways that you can treat your windows to better insulate your home and save money during the frigid months of the year.
Where can you get started?Seal your Windows with Sealant
One of the first things that you are going to want to do is make sure that you eliminate or minimize the energy leaks that you have on the inside of your house. Whether your house is old or new, it isn’t uncommon for your home to have small cracks in your windows and doors that can result in significant losses in heat. That means that your heater is going to have to work much harder to pump additional warm air into the house, as it loses heat through the small cracks in your windows.
How do find leaks in your home?You can simply walk around your house and trace your hand around the outside of your window to see if you can feel cold air coming in from the outside. This will give you a fairly good idea if you are losing heat through these small or invisible cracks in your windows. If you aren’t sure where to start, you can always contact window and flooring experts that will inspect and seal your windows for you.
After you identify the leaks, you can get a window sealer from your home care store and use that to seal up any leaks you have found around your windows. This alone can save you hundreds of dollars in heating costs during the winter.
Rubber Weather Stripping
Another method you can use to seal your windows is with rubber weathering strips. Rubber weathering strips are thick pieces of adhesive rubber strips that are made for molding around the edges of your window to help keep cold air out, and warm air inside. All you have to do is peel off a piece of weatherstrip and stick it along the inside of your window frame where you suspect that you are getting a draft.
Cellular Shades
Cellular shades are another excellent way to insulate your home for the winter. What are cellular shades?Cellular shades can either be a double or single-layered shade that has a design that has pockets that resemble a honeycomb. Cellular shades are one of the most effective means for keeping warm air in and cold air out in the winter because of how they absorb and insulate both cold air and warm air.
The layering of cellular shades gives them the ability to absorb warm air and keep it on the inside of the house. The honeycomb design gives these shades the ability hold warm air in the honeycomb layers, insulating the inside of your windows and your home from the cold air, on the outside of your windows.
You can lose a lot of heat through the cold, exposed surfaces of the windows in your house. Cellular shades are some of the highest-rated shades for keeping warm air in your home while diffusing cold air that is trying to enter.
Insulated Curtains and Drapes
Insulated curtains are another excellent way to keep your home insulated during the winter. Curtains will provide a fabric that fits securely around the outside of your window, while drapes will extend from the top of your window down to the floor.
With either of these, insulated curtains and drapes are made of thick fabric that is designed to keep the warm air in your home and the cool air out. Curtains and drapes can also effective in absorbing heat from the sun. To maximize the effectiveness of your drapes, we recommend some with dark colors that face the outside of your house. Dark drapes and curtains have the ability to absorb more heat from the sun, which will help keep your home warm and reduce energy costs.
Indoor Shutters or Blinds
Interior shutters and blinds can provide another effective way of reducing heat loss through your glass windows. Thick shutters and blinds act in a similar way to the honeycomb-like cellular shades that we mentioned above, in that they can absorb cold air through the window while keeping warm air inside the house. Acting as both an insulator of warm air and a buffer to the cold outside air. As with curtains and drapes, the thicker that your shutters and blinds are the more effective they will be at insulating your home.
Do you suspect that you may have some heat and energy leaks in your home? If that’s the case, don’t go another season with a colder house and higher energy costs. Our window treatment experts at Starwood Distributors have years of experience in helping homeowners like you save money on their energy bill during winter. Contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation.
