Cooperative Living October 2018 - 28

EnergySense | by Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen, Contributing Writers
Tips to Stay Comfortable This Winter
D
ear Pat: Last year, we spent our
first winter in our new place,
which is actually an older home.
Even with the heat turned up, it always
felt chilly indoors. This year, we added
insulation, but we're wondering if there
are additional steps we can take to make
the house more comfortable this winter.
Can you offer any advice?
- Emily
D
ear Emily: When we talk about
comfort in our homes, we
usually think about where the
thermostat is set. But, as you're finding,
there's more to the picture than just the
indoor temperature.
An important piece of the comfort
puzzle is radiant heat, which transfers
heat from a warm surface to a colder one.
A person sitting in a room that's 70
degrees can still feel chilly if there's a cold
surface nearby, like a single-pane window,
a hardwood floor or an exterior wall.
Covering these cold surfaces can help.
Try using area rugs, wall quilts or
tapestries, bookcases and heavy curtains
to help prevent heat loss and make your
home feel more comfortable. Keep in
mind, radiant heat can really work in
your favor. A dark-colored tile floor that
receives several hours of direct sun can
retain heat during the day and radiate it
into the room during the evening.
Another possible cause of discomfort
during the winter is air movement. We
recognize this when weather forecasts
report chill factor, which is a calculation
of air temperature and wind speed.
Moving air makes us feel colder,
which is why we use fans in the
summer. But during the winter, cold,
outdoor air can infiltrate our homes.
On average, a typical home loses
about half its air every hour, and that
amount can increase when outdoor
temperatures are extremely cold and the
wind is blowing. In this case, the best
way to keep your home toasty is to
minimize air leaks. You can easily locate
air leaks in your home with a blower
door test, which is typically conducted
by an energy auditor. These are some of
the most common spots air leaks occur:
* Penetrations and cracks around
windows and doors;
* Exterior cracks in brickwork
and siding;
* Plumbing and wiring penetrations
from the exterior to the interior of
the home; and
* Mail slots or pet doors.
A variety of products like caulk, weather
stripping, outlet-cover gaskets and dryer
vent covers can be used to seal these leaks.
A fireplace can also be a major source
of air leakage. If you don't use the
fireplace, you can seal the opening or
install an inflatable chimney balloon.
Before using the fireplace, consider this:
Unless you have a high-efficiency insert,
your fireplace will suck heated air from
the room out through the chimney.
Always close the fireplace flue when it's
not in use.
Your pursuit of comfort should also
include a careful look at your home's
heating system. Is it distributing heat
evenly and efficiently? Forced-air
systems distribute air through supply
ducts and registers. Small rooms may
only have one register, but large rooms
could have several. You may find some
supply registers are blowing copious
amounts of warm air and others little
at all.
Ideally, every room should have return
During the winter, covering cold surfaces like hardwood floors can
improve comfort. An area rug can be visually appealing while
helping retain indoor heat.
26 | Cooperative Living | October 2018
While a fireplace may warm a small area of your home, it can also
suck heated air from the room out through the chimney. Always
close the fireplace flue when a fire is not burning.
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Cooperative Living October 2018

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