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Warm Up and Save on Home Insulation

By Nadine Cheung Posted 10:00AM 09/25/12 Savings Experiment, Home & Garden |
Savings Experiment: Home Insulation

Would you use energy-efficient curtains?

Did you find our video on home insulation savings helpful?

Cold drafts are uncomfortable, and can cost you a pretty penny when it comes to your heating bill. Here's how to warm up inside during the cooler months, without burning through your budget.

First, locate where the drafts are coming in by using a candle. Light the wick and hold the flame near doors and windows. If you see it flickering, you've found the culprit.

Once you've identified all of the draft sources, use curtains and door sweeps to keep the heat in. Curtains are great, energy-efficient insulators. They'll spice up your home decor and cut down your heating bill in the process. Door sweeps are easy to install, and are another low-cost way to keep cold air out.

Another budget-friendly way to keep the heat inside your home is to use reflective insulation. Wrap a piece of cardboard with some tin foil and place it behind radiator with shiny side facing out. This prevents the wall from absorbing heat, and reflects the heat back into the room.

radiatorSo, before you even think about changing the thermostat, try one of these easy ways to increase the insulation in your home. You'll be surprised at how simple it is to keep your heating costs low.
Tagged: energy efficient heating, energy savings, for the home, heating and cooling, home insulation, insulation, keeping heat in, lower heating bills, save on heating bill, Savings Experiment,

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Scott

I closed the front door, and that seems to be helping a lot.

February 08 2013 at 2:17 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ryan

This is just dumb! A very inexpensive repair would be to caulk your windows. Also if you have that big of a draft, you need to replace your windows and up grade to double, or triple pane glass. Drapes and shades are ok to stop drafts, but NOT keep the cold out. Once it's in, it adds to your heating or cooling bill.

February 07 2013 at 8:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
gmydogbud

We use room darkner shades - pull them down at night and then close drapes. Also use an electric heater for a short time while showering. Extra blankets and heating blankets also help. Door sweeps do a lot to keep our the cold.

February 07 2013 at 6:31 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Machinerymartinc

WHEN I BUILT IN 1988 WE USED 2X6 WALLS. NOW I WISHED I'D MADE THEM A 1' THICK.!!!

December 13 2012 at 12:25 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Machinerymartinc's comment
steve

A 2x6 inch wall with good insulation and wood/vinyl windows with at least 5/8 inch space between panes (triple panes are best if you can afford them) should be energy efficient enough. But in MN many homes were built with two 2x6 walls for the outside walls. This eliminate heat lost at the corners. .

February 07 2013 at 6:29 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
doirmachine

GET OUT OF OUR LIVES........

December 12 2012 at 10:42 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
steelarc10

So the government paid 90% of the cost and now he can recover the balance in 3 1/2 years. So we the people have now saved this guy a lot of money each month............that's just great. Such screwed up economics shouldn't take long to bankrupt the whole country.

December 03 2012 at 5:59 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
dickbyrne9

When my home was built, the code did not include Tyvek. None was used so when i take off a piece of plastic siding, I see studs. Is this ok or should I re-side my home with a vapor barrier Tyvek? dickbyrne9@aol.com

November 28 2012 at 5:21 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to dickbyrne9's comment
Annika

If you're planning to reside your home anyway adding Tyvek would be a good idea, but if you want to reside your home just to be able to add Tyvek, that wouldn't be cost effective.

February 08 2013 at 7:50 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
tony

Wrap a piece of cardboard with some tin foil and place it behind radiator with shiny side facing out. This prevents the wall from absorbin
TIN foil, yea right , try buying tin foil at any store. You CAN`T do it. what these rejects should have said is aluminum foil. Just plain laziness, either that or they just are to unintelligent to know.

November 19 2012 at 8:57 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to tony's comment
Michelle CD

Well Tony, it seems to me you were smart enough to figure that out, do you really think your the only intelligent human being on here? Aluminum foil has been called tin foil for years by many people, just depends on where you grew up.

December 04 2012 at 2:02 PM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
kansasbred

learn the difference between TO and TOO!

December 11 2012 at 10:57 PM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
biobeauty21

In my apartment, I use light-filtering privacy contact paper on my windows....added security and insulates very well while allowing light to filter through. It's also non-permanent and you can change the design seasonally if you wish. Also, I go around windows and doors with a caulk gun to help keep out any drafts. Great-Stuff foam works for more of my garage insulating projects (as it is not as pretty).

November 19 2012 at 11:03 AM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to biobeauty21's comment
Michelle CD

I do put up the interior plastic over my windows in winter, and like you have caulked around all the window casings as well as frame work. I also went about the outside of my apartment and where I found gaps between the wood panel siding and window framework, used the great-stuff foam insulation, filling those gaps. My garage is just that a garage that keeps the snow and rain off my vehicle and other things stored in it on a shelf in the back, yet allows for me to park my truck in it.

December 04 2012 at 2:18 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
arenadood

We have the opposite problem, our house is about four years old now. We actually have a such a well insulated house that it warms up just from our body heat in the winter, actually making us open a window to cool it down. We even tried multiple thermostats, that helped a little. Guess one can't win some of the times.

November 19 2012 at 9:11 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to arenadood's comment
mastercommentor

how small is your house? or do you have 100 people living in it,,,, lol, just currious if all you do is heat your house with body heat....

December 13 2012 at 12:18 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to mastercommentor's comment
UCanCallMe

My boyfriend and I have the same problem... we end up heating our house with electronics, cooking and daily showers. lol. A gaming computer and not having a microwave (needing to use the oven/cook top) means we don't need to turn on the heat until it gets bitterly cold. It was snowing yesterday and we had two windows open.

December 13 2012 at 5:48 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down

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