Why Is Your House So Cold?

Your house is more than a little chilly this winter. No matter how high you crank up your thermostat, you still feel like your rooms aren’t heating up. The interior feels almost as cold as it is outside, just without any ice and snow.

What’s going on? Why is your house so cold? These are some potential culprits for the freezing temperatures. 

Poor Insulation

Your home might not be as well insulated as it should be. Insulation is supposed to create a thermal barrier between your home’s exterior and interior walls. This should stop the frigid weather from creeping into your rooms during the winter months and the blistering heat from doing the same in the summer months. The thermal barrier also reduces condensation inside of the home, which reduces the risks of serious problems like mold and mildew growth.

If your home is still freezing in the winter, your home might not have enough insulation. This is common for “unfinished” areas of the house, like the basement or the attic. By adding wall insulation to these untouched areas, you can strengthen your home’s thermal barrier and keep the cold weather outside where it belongs. 

Adding insulation to these unfinished areas can help you avoid other expensive problems down the line. A poorly insulated attic could lead to ice dams on the roof during the winter. If your basement is poorly insulated, exposed water pipes on that level could freeze when the temperatures outside drop. Frozen pipes will temporarily block your home’s access to water. They can also burst open and cause a lot of water damage. So, investing in some extra insulation could save you from expensive repairs later on. 

Air Leaks

Sometimes, cold air can sneak in through small gaps in your home’s building envelope. These air leaks are usually around your window frames and entrance door frames. You might also notice that in the summer months that hot, humid air seems to fill up your rooms, even when the air conditioning is at full blast. This could be because of air leaks. 

How can you tell that you have air leaks? One easy way to check is to use a lit stick of incense. Hold the stick of incense in front of your closed windows and doors on a windy day. If there are air leaks, the smoke from the incense won’t just curl upward. It will move with the breeze coming through the gaps. 

How Can You Fix It?

• Seal gaps around frames with a layer of caulking. 
• Add new weatherstripping to the interior of window and door frames. 
• Place draft stoppers at the bottoms of your entrance doors. 

These tasks should keep the cold outside so that your indoor temperature is much, much more comfortable. 

Furnace Filter

When was the last time that you changed your furnace’s filter? During the winter, you should replace the filter once a month so that the appliance runs properly. The filters are going to clog with dust more often in the winter. A clogged filter will make the furnace run less efficiently, and in turn, struggle to heat your house properly. 

So, replace your clogged furnace filter. If your furnace has a built-in filter, remove it and give it a thorough clean. Let it dry and insert it back into the slot. This should make a difference.

What If Your Furnace Is Still Not Working Properly?

In this case, you should call a professional to check on your furnace. It might need some repairs in order to get into better working condition. If you’ve signed up for a home warranty program, you might be able to get these repairs done quickly at a discounted rate. If you’re not part of this program, you’ll have to pay for this service entirely out of pocket.

Whatever you do, do not skip furnace repairs in the winter for the sake of saving money. If you don’t have enough money sitting in your savings account to cover these last-minute repairs, consider applying for a personal line of credit loan online. With a personal line of credit, you could request a withdrawal that would cover your repair costs right away and then follow a repayment plan later on.

A personal line of credit can be a convenient credit tool to have on hand. Find out how to maximize the open-end credit tool and handle repayments after withdrawals. The information could be useful in the future.

Your house shouldn’t be so cold. See whether these common problems are bringing the winter chill indoors!