Older homes are often bursting with charm and original character, yet have less insulation and more air leaks than modern properties. This can lead to colder floors and rooms, especially upstairs, which may impact your happiness and comfort.
However, you don’t need to embark on extensive renovations to create a warmer environment for you and your loved ones. A few small changes and clever solutions could help you create a more inviting home during fall and winter.
If you want to reduce your energy bills and feel more comfortable when temperatures plummet, read the following advice on how to keep an old home warm.
Arrange a Home Energy Audit
A home energy audit is a great place to start when attempting to create a naturally warmer environment in an old property. A local utility company may perform a blower door test or thermal imaging to identify the source of your home’s heat loss. You can then make the appropriate changes and upgrades to your home.
Say Goodbye to Air Leaks
Air leaks are a common problem in many older homes, as they often have gaps around the windows, doors, and flooring. Original features, such as chimneys and attic hatches, may also allow warm air to escape during winter.
Enjoy a warmer property by:
- Weatherstripping doors and windows.
- Caulking gaps surrounding your window trims and baseboards.
- Sealing an attic hatch.
- Adding door sweeps to all exterior doors.
- Installing a chimney balloon in an unused fireplace – always remove it before lighting a fire.
- Asking a professional to check your home’s existing insulation, wiring, and ventilation.
Care for Your Heating System
Prevent your family from being left in the cold by having your home’s heating system professionally serviced before winter, helping you enjoy a warm, cozy environment throughout the season. It is also essential to routinely replace filters when needed and insulate hot water pipes in any unheated spaces.
If you live in an older home that uses heating oil, don’t wait until the tank runs low. Instead, review home heating oil prices early and lock in a delivery before colder temperatures arrive.
Warm Up Your Flooring
Older homes often have colder flooring for a variety of reasons, such as little or no insulation, unheated basements, air leaks, floorboard gaps, or cold materials underfoot. If this is the case in your home, you can warm up the space by adding thick rugs to bare flooring.
Create Warmer Windows
If your older property has single-pane windows, worn seals, shifting frames, or broken hardware, your home might feel more than a little chilly during winter. Warm up a room by hanging insulated curtains and applying a window film to the glass.
Don’t forget to open your curtains during the day to welcome sunlight and close them once the sun goes down to keep warm air inside at night. Many people also choose to install exterior or interior storm windows to retain a property’s original windows and character. However, it is essential to review local requirements before making any changes to an older property in a historic district.
