No matter what I do, I feel a chill as soon as winter weather begins. What can I do, other than sealing around the windows and putting more insulation in the attic? I don-t want to keep raising the thermostat.
A. At this time of the year, I get a lot of mail about keeping warm, and I have to thank one of my readers, Bob Simmons, for being a real energy vigilante. Bob has taken the time, in several letters, to list ideas to improve your warmth and energy savings. Bob suggests that on especially cold days, you can keep the curtains drawn to keep the cold trapped at the outside wall. It-s important not to block the heating units below the windows with furniture or curtains, though. On sunny days, open the drapes to let the sun in, warming the rooms on the south side of your house. Get a timer thermostat to automatically turn the heat down to 55 to 60 degrees when you-re away, then turn it up just before your return. Maintain your steam valves to maximize steam output, and open the vanes on baseboard units -- you-d be amazed how many people have closed baseboards and don-t even realize it.
Place reflective aluminum sheets behind radiator units and insulate pipes going through crawl spaces and basement rooms that don-t need the heat as much so the water or steam is warmer when it reaches your heating units. Place an approved wrap/insulator around your water heater to keep the heat in and regulate the unit-s thermostat to a moderate temperature. Bob is adamant about making sure your boiler is serviced yearly and your water heater is drained and flushed semi-annually. You can feel for drafts, and eliminate them by sealing and weather-stripping. After all, it-s not cool to be drafty, and in this case stripping makes you warmer.
Many places are never insulated properly, such as around recessed high-hat lights, electrical switch and outlet boxes, behind kitchen cabinets, in crawl spaces where insulation has fallen, and under central air-conditioning fan units in attics where installers pull insulation away but neglect to put it back, causing you to be cool year-round instead of just in the summer. Also, check your air-conditioner outlets and vents to be sure they-re closed or sealed and cover outside window units with a sized draft cover.
You can get a home energy audit to assess problems by calling National Grid (the gas company) at (516) 586-8250 or LIPA at (800) 490-0025. If all else fails, wear warm slippers, wool socks and neck-covering sweaters, and use flannel sheets and pillow cases. Seek medical help if you-re still cold, since the problem may be internal. Moving to a warmer climate is next on the list. Thanks, Bob. Stay warm and have a toasty holiday season!
