Some valuable tips for winterizing your home before winter

August 15, 2017

For anyone living in Canada, it's never too early to think about winterizing the home. Beyond the potential improvements to comfort, many homeowners also want to improve energy efficiency in the home, and therefore reduce the costs of heating. And since the heating season in Canada spans from October to April, that’s more than a half-year of extra expenses that could be reduced.

Every effort in winterizing your home is worthwhile - the important thing is how to choose what to do. For most homeowners, the first thing that comes to mind is upgrading or retrofitting the existing insulation in the home. But there are a host of other things that can be addressed, all of which can make a difference. In general, the best outcomes are achieved by home energy experts.

In the majority of homes, air leakage in the building structure is the main contributor to higher-than-average energy bills (winter and summer). As such, one of the priorities when winterizing your home is to ensure airtightness throughout the building. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation recommends using the services of a qualified home energy specialist to do the work.

Winterizing your home - Tip 1

Installing effective air barriers in strategic parts of the home is probably one of the most cost effective upgrades that a homeowner can undertake. A home that is properly air sealed will prevent air leakage, and therefore prevent heat from escaping in winter entering in summer.

Winterizing your home - Tip 2

Without doubt, upgrading or replacing windows and doors makes a huge difference in energy efficiency. Needless to say, this is a big project, with a big budget, but with excellent long term return-on-investment. At the very least, air sealing and weatherizing the windows is a must.

Winterizing your home - Tip 3

Clearly, setting the winter thermostat at a sensible temperature will ensure lower utility costs. However, if the home is poorly sealed and poorly insulated, heat loss throughout the winter will most certainly waste energy. This is where effective air sealing retrofits can make a difference.

Winterizing your home - Tip 4

Inspecting the attic for air leaks, moisture pockets, and insulation integrity can set the stage for major improvements to existing attic insulation. Here, expertly installed spray foam insulation will provide an effective air and moisture barrier, and thermal insulation without compare.

Winterizing your home - Tip 5

In many homes, exterior walls can be effectively insulated for much improved energy efficiency. Retrofit “drill-and-fill” makes it possible to install higher performance insulation in existing walls (exterior and interior). Using loose fill insulation to fill the walls enhances R-Value dramatically.

With winter “around the corner”, homeowners can do a lot to improve home energy efficiency while enhancing home comfort. The professionals at Great Northern Insulation offer a very easy online tool - My EnergyXpert - to assess a home’s energy performance and isolate areas that need improvement. For more information, contact GNI directly at 1-800-265-1914 or visit the company website at www.gni.ca.