How to Prepare for Winter: 10 Ways to Keep Your House Warm

In case you didn’t know, A1DesignBuild is a designer and builder of homes in Bellingham and Whatcom County, Washington. We specialize in everything from home remodels to complete high-performance home builds, with over 70 years of providing excellent service to the community. Our time tested process assures that your home project gets done right - each and every time. Read on to learn more.

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How to Prepare for Winter: 10 Ways to Keep Your House Warm

It’s here. Just when we thought the summer days may never end, the temperature and the rain falling from the sky have taken a quick turn. And now as the days shorten and the thermometer drops, it’s a good time to take stock and prepare you and your house for added efficiencies, comfort, and lower heating costs.

Whether your home is a certified Passive House that’s totally insulated, or maybe just aspires to be, we can all implement small upgrades that can make a big difference in how warm we feel this winter.

Here’s 10 most excellent tips:

1. Maximize Solar Gain
   Open curtains on south-facing windows during the day to let the sun work for you, then close them at night to trap that free heat inside. Simple but effective.

2. Check Your Windows
   Double or triple-pane glazing with low-E coatings can significantly reduce heat loss. Temporary plastic films or insulated curtains are also potentially good stopgaps.

3. Seal the Envelope
   Air leaks are the number one source of heat loss. Use weatherstripping around doors and windows, and caulk gaps around outlets, vents, and trim. Walk around and do a quick audit this fall before the cold sets in.

4. Use Smart Controls
   A programmable thermostat helps you reduce energy use when you’re away without sacrificing comfort. So if you’re going to work, lower the thermostat 7-10 degrees for a few hours, then have it kick back on an hour or so before you get home.

5. Eliminate Thermal Bridges
   Cold spots around beams, floors, and junctions waste heat. Adding insulation or air sealing here pays off almost immediately. See the video below for even more on this important issue facing many houses.

6. Service Your HVAC or HRV System
   Clean filters are happy filters, so changing them out yearly (at the very least) is a must. Also test thermostats and ensure your heat recovery ventilator (HRV) or energy recovery ventilator (ERV) is balanced. It also might be time for a professional service if it’s been longer than a few years. Remember: Clean air is warm air.

7. Upgrade Insulation
   Attic, wall, and floor insulation really makes a difference. Older homes, especially those ‘antique homes’ in Bellingham, often lack proper insulation in the crawlspace underneath the house. So take a look. Dense-packed cellulose or continuous exterior insulation dramatically improves thermal performance.

8. Plan for the Long Term
   If your home still feels drafty, consider a professional blower door test or energy audit. Here in Whatcom County, we’re lucky to have a program through the City of Bellingham and Sustainable Connections that will often do this audit for free. Check it out. These insights will guide the next phase of any upgrade.

9. Put on an Extra Layer
   Sure, we don’t want to wear our ski parka around the house (even if it is fashionable), but you can really mitigate small temperature fluctuations with one more layer like a long-sleeve shirt.

10. Get a Free Building Performance and Conditioning Evaluation (or BPCE)

    A1DesignBuild provides a free building performance evaluation that will truly measure your home’s energy efficiency. Contact us to learn more!

Want to learn one way homes lose heat? Watch the below video.

Keeping your house warm and comfortable is the goal, of course. But it’s also about our collective overall health. Enjoying the winter, rather than dreading it. Because when your home performs like it should, you feel the difference almost immediately with nice temperatures, fresh air, and lower energy bills. Investing in all this efficiency today means living better all winter - and for every season that follows. All year round.

Want to learn more about winterizing your home or exploring high-performance and Passive House solutions? Well as luck would have it, we are giving away 4 Free Hours of Design consultation during these colder months. If you’re interested, fill out the form below and our team at A1DesignBuild below will be in touch. We’d love to help you make your home cozy, efficient, and future-ready.

Enjoy the season! And sign up below.