1. Hats aren’t just for people. If your house has a good ‘hat’ (air and thermal barrier) on the top, it will be a LOT warmer.
2. Step away from the thermostat! Heat pumps go into emergency heat (or worse, freeze up) if you move the temperature more than one or two degrees at a time.
3. Help your heat pump: set it a bit lower, but wear layers to keep warm.
4. Unvented gas fireplaces can be deadly. (And so can any fireplace, vented or not). Don’t leave it on all night – even if it’s tempting. Any fireplace, but especially unvented gas fireplaces, can produce enough Carbon Monoxide to make you very sick – or worse.
5. Close the drapes at night, but open them on the South side of your house during the day (to catch free radiant heat from the sun).
6. Doors to unheated basements and attics are exterior doors! Most are not weatherstripped properly. Putting a rolled up towel or ‘door snake’ at the bottom will help reduce drafts.
7. Use space heaters sparingly and only with supervision in occupied rooms.
8. Don’t use your exhaust fans during the coldest weather, up to three or four days at time. (Use them as soon as it warms up a bit, though, to remove pollutants and moisture).
9. Bake! Nothing says ‘cozy’ like a cornucopia of stews, pies and homemade bread.
10. Get an energy audit. We can help take the chill off, and cut your energy bills, too.
