The polar vortex has been particularly brutal this year, and lots of people are trying desperately to protect their homes for the extremely cold temperatures. If you’re one of the many people in this situation, you’ll need to take into account the following tips. (Related topic: Hudson garage doors)
– Invest in draft-proofing your home. Heat can escape your house through the smallest nooks and crannies that are around the windows and doors. Take your time to find any gaps and purchase rubber seals for the bottom of your doors to trap warm air inside. If this doesn’t improve considerably, you might want some heavy window curtains to help retain the heat.
– Sealing your garage is essential to protect your home from the polar vortex. Aside from keeping your car a bit warmer on cold mornings, this can help you preserve heat inside your home. Sealing any fissures around your garage door is also a key factor in protecting your garage from the cold. You can purchase a tube-shaped stripping to place it along the bottom of the door to seal it tight. To guarantee the best heat retention when the door is open, insulating the garage is the best way to go. If you want to go the extra mile and prepare for the next polar vortex, insulate the walls the garage shares with your house.
– Install heated floors to fight the cold. You can choose between radiant air floors, electric radiant floors, and hydronic radiant floors. The hydronic floors are the most energy-efficient and they can be installed anywhere in your home. However, they do best in heavily trafficked areas; they’re often installed in bathrooms.
– Install a fireplace or indoor fire pit to keep your home warm. These come in different formats such as wood-burning, gas, and electric, although electric is the most recommended for maximum energy efficiency.
– Plant lines of trees throughout the side of your property to block the cold winter breeze. Evergreen trees are the best thanks to their thickness; plus their year-round foliage work as an excellent windbreak.