I Said, Brrr, It’s Cold In Here!

Which can mean one of two things:  1. I’m going to bust out a cheer from Bring It On or 2. It’s time to winterize my home.

Tip Of The Day:  The companion piece to my Fox 9 Morning Buzz segment from today.  By the way, if you watched the show, you know it’s official.  Jason likes me!  He said so on air and EVERYTHING.

Tip For Tomorrow:  If you live in the Twin Cities or the surrounding areas, and you’re into crafting, sewing, costuming, sculpting with found objects, car repair, home repair, computer repair, or you just need some crime scene tape (who doesn’t?), you NEED to check out AxMan.  I finally stepped inside the hallowed halls of one the best surplus chains in the state, if not the world.

Further Elucidation Of My Cheap Deal:  Being cold in winter is a fact of life in MN.  However, you can mitigate some of the chill in your domicile with these basic, inexpensive steps.  Hey, they’re a lot cheaper than moving to California, and with a much lesser chance of being hit by an earthquake.

Tip One:  Clean your gutters.  Get rid of the leaves, branches and dirt that can obstruct the flow of water off your roof and away from your foundation.  Why?  Water build-up can cause ice dams on the roof, which can mean water intrusion into your attic or crawlspace.  And it goes without saying that intrusion is BAD.  Granted, I did just say it anyway.

Also, make sure the water is flowing down the drain spouts and away from your home’s foundation – to prevent water from seeping into your basement (also bad).  10 feet from the house is a good rule of thumb.  WARNING:  Any work that requires a ladder is a two-person job!  A trip to the hospital is NOT CHEAP. 

Tip Two:  Have your furnace cleaned and inspected.  This will cost around $100, which is cheaper than a whole new furnace (which you will need to purchase, if you don’t take care of your existing furnace).  Another tip – in older, 2-story homes, run the fan all the time to circulate the heated air.  This prevents hot air from being trapped the second floor.

Speaking of your furnace, be sure to turn it down at night and when you’re at work.  Why heat a house if you’re not there to enjoy it?  WARNING:  Don’t turn your heat down too low.  You need to keep it above 50 degrees, to prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting.

Tip Three:  Seal up the leaks.  First, you need to find them.  You can have a basic home energy audit done by your power company for around $25.  Or, do a simple draft test yourself for free – on a breezy day, walk around inside holding a lit incense stick (available at your local head shop) to the most common drafty areas: recessed lighting, window and door frames, electrical outlets.

Then, seal them up.  You can use caulk, plastic around the windows and sliding glass doors, and door sweeps under doors and attic doors, or a even door-stop pillow (cute and cheap).  All are cheap and easy DIY projects.  Don’t forget your outlets.  If you have an outlet on an outer wall, it’s letting in cold air.  Buy an inexpensive outlet insulation kit to seal them up.

Tip Four:  Little things make a difference.  Keep your thermostat 5 degrees cooler in the winter – like 65 degrees instead of 70.  Reverse your ceiling fans to push warm air down (instead of the summer setting, which pulls cold air up).  Switch your ducts from the summer function to the winter function (available in newer homes).  Eat at home more, so you use your oven more, which will warm your house, plus you save money by not eating out.  Shut the fireplace damper and place an insulated screen in front of it when not in use.  Snuggle more – body heat is FREE.

Last but not least?  Check all your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are fully operational.  Dry air + sealed-up homes = more fires and CO2 poisoning.  All expensive and awful.