During the winter, nothing can eat up your budget faster than trying to keep your house warm. Therefore, many homeowners are looking for ways to keep energy costs down while still keeping a cozy home. Here are some of the easiest ways that you can keep from getting the winter blues.

Seal Up Leaks

If you haven’t sealed up your home in a while, it is probably about time to do so. Before winter hits is the best time to seal and caulk both inside and outside. When sealing outside the home, focus on the edges of sills. It’s best to use a water-resistant product. Inside, a silicone caulk around the moving parts of windows will go a long way. Once Spring hits, the silicon breaks away with no damage to your paint.

Upgrade Your Windows

There are two ways to go about upgrading your windows. The first is to purchase energy-efficient windows. This is a good idea if your windows are more than 10 years old because technology has come a long way over the past number of years. A potentially more inexpensive alternative is to have storm windows installed. Storm windows provide an extra layer of insulation for single-pane windows.

Insulation

Nothing is going to keep your home warmer during the winter than upgrading or adding more insulation to your home. While it does take a bit more money up front, adding more insulation to your home will give you the biggest return on your money. Best of all, it is going to help during both the winter and summer. When choosing insulation, determining R-values are important. However, they are sometimes confusing. A good rule of thumb is to have at least 12 inches of insulation in your attic.

Replace Those Air Filters

One of the easiest and most forgotten tasks to keep your home warmer this winter is to simply replace the air filter on your heating and cooling system. Getting the cobwebs and dust that accumulate around the filter slot will reduce how hard your system has to work to heat your home. This not only lowers your energy cost but extends the life of your HVAC system.

Professional Help

For more information about insulation, contact USI online to find a branch near you. USI believes that excellence in every step of the process and ensures timely completion and quality of service, time after time.