Winterizing Your Home In BC
Posted by Niels Madsen on
There's a large number of "how to winterize your home" articles on the internet, but if you live on the west coast you may have noticed that most of them are aimed at home owners further east — home owners who have to deal with large amounts of snow and subzero temperatures.
Being located in a temperate climate, much of the BC coast and Victoria in particular has different concerns when it comes to preparing for winter. Instead of snow and ice, we need to prepare for high levels of rainfall and strong winds.
To help you ready your home for the upcoming season, I've compiled this guide on winterizing your home for a west coast winter. It's never too late to get started!
Insulate & Seal Your Windows
Up to 10-25% of the thermal energy in your home can be lost through your windows, so make sure they have some sort of insulation to preserve as much heat as possible. If the inside of your windows is cold to the touch during the winter, you're almost definitely losing heat through them.
At the lowest possible end of the cost spectrum, you can cover non-insulated windows with heavy blackout curtains or insulated window shades, blocking your home's heat from reaching and escaping through the glass. If you have summer screens that were put on your windows and doors, replace them with their glass equivalents for the winter.
Another option is to buy a window insulation kit from your local hardware or department store. When properly installed, these kits are nearly invisible and help buffer against drafts and heat loss. Add some weatherstripping for good measure, and apply caulk on both the inside and outside of your home's window and door casings to seal them. (Important note: if your home has wood siding with frames that stick out, only caulk the top and sides of the frames, so that moisture can escape. If your home is brick or stone with frames set into the face, caulk all four sides.) If you aren't sure which areas need caulking, turn off all your fans and go around your windows with a candle or a stick of incense on a windy day, watching for any flickering or disturbances in the flame or smoke.
A bigger investment — but one that will get you energy savings and add value to your home in the long run — is to either have low-e film applied to your windows by a pro, or (if you have older windows) have your windows replaced entirely with a more energy efficient set.
If you already have proper thermal windows (the glass should be room temperature when touched), make sure to keep your windows uncovered during the day in order to let sunlight in. The sun can help heat and light your rooms, and your windows should keep the heat inside.
You can help the sun along even more by making sure your windows are sparkling clean before the winter season officially sets in. Some estimate that dirty windows can reduce the amount of sunlight that gets inside by up to 20%. If you don't have any Windex on hand, try doing an internet search for non-toxic window cleaner recipes; many don't use anything more than vinegar, dish detergent, and some water.
Check Your Thermostat
Check what temperature your thermostat is set to turn on at, and whether it might be too high or too low for expected weather conditions. Make sure to account for your wardrobe (a heavy sweater can take up to 4 degrees off your thermostat needs, saving you heating costs), and make sure you aren't heating parts of your home that you don't need to. Keep storage areas and closets closed, and turn the vents off in rooms that you aren't using regularly.
If you don't already have a programmable digital thermostat, you should consider having one installed. Digital thermostats are more temperature precise than older styles, and can be programmed to lower temperatures at night and when you're not home so you don't pay for heat you aren't using.
Turn ON Your Fans
That's right, you'll want to keep your ceiling fans on during the winter — but only after you've changed them to run counterclockwise. Hot air rises, and fans running backwards will push the warm air back down and keep it circulating through your home rather than letting it escape through the ceiling and roof. This can reduce your need for heating by up to 10%.
But before you set them running, make sure the fan blades are clean or you'll get dust flying all over your rooms. An easy way to dust ceiling fans is to gently cover each blade with an old pillow case. The case will take the dust with it when dragged off, capturing it rather than letting it scatter.
Wrap Your Pipes & Water Heater
When you use hot water in your home, some of it will typically go unused and have to be reheated due to a process called "standby heat loss". This loss can account for up to 20% of your water heating costs in colder weather. Insulated pipes and water heaters makes your hot water more efficient, reducing the cost of heating it when winter sets in.
If your pipes or hot water tank are warm to the touch, they're probably good candidates for insulation — especially if they're located in the basement, attic, garage, or an outdoor storage room or crawlspace. For your pipes, buy some pre-slit pipe foam at your hardware store of choice, cut it to size, and affix it to your pipes with duct tape. Get the highest R-value insulation you can reasonably afford, as that indicates how much heat the insulation blocks (most pipe insulation is R-3, but wraparound types can run as high as R-7).
For your water heater, wrapping it in a thermal heat blanket can reduce heat loss by 25-45% and water heating costs by 4-9%, depending on the R-value of the tank itself. You can also max out your efficiency by switching to a tankless water heater.
You may see some people advising you to save money by lowering your tank's default temperature, but this can put your household at serious risk for pneumonia. Make sure to consult with a professional plumber before making any changes to your water heater's settings.
Secure Your Roof
Autumn is the perfect time to hire a roof repair contractor to check for loose gutters, damaged shingles, missing or damaged flashing, or other threats to your roof.
Make sure to give your gutters a good cleaning. Without them, you can suffer basement and foundation flooding, and possible water damage to your windows, doors, and siding. Check their mounting and that they drain to a proper location and distance from your foundation.
Plug Up Drafts With Insulation
Take a look at the insulation in your attic, basement, and exterior walls to make sure they're properly insulated and up to code. Depending on its condition, you might have to replace it, while other times you can just add more to what's already there. Attics with visible ceiling joists will almost always need more insulation, and areas where different building materials meet (such as corners, chimney joins, and pipe and wire exits) are also prime candidates. If you aren't sure, call in a building contractor to help.
Make sure the smaller parts of your home are insulated as well. Switches and outlets can be protected with foam insulation specially made for the purpose, which is often affordable and easy to install. Doors can be protected with draft snakes or door sweeps, which you can buy or make yourself out of rolled towels, or bits of fabric like ties filled with rice, beans, sand, or kitty litter.
Clean Your Furnace & Fireplace
How often you replace your furnace filter will depend on the quality of the ones you buy, but you should always make sure to at least check it at the beginning and end of each winter season. Most fibreglass filters need to be cleaned or replaced at least once a month. If you don't, you risk obstructed airflow and a less efficient (and more expensive) furnace.
You can save yourself some hassle by switching to a permanent furnace filter, such as an electrostatic or HEPA filter. These are much more effective at controlling air quality (up to 40% more compared to fibreglass) and take less work to maintain.
If you suspect your furnace itself isn't running at top performance, have a heating repair contractor inspect it. It will cost you if it needs to be replaced, but replacement can be a great opportunity to get a more energy efficient furnace that will cost you less in the long run, sometimes with tax credits.
You can also run a humidifier alongside your furnace to add moisture to the air in your home, which will make it feel warmer and allow you to turn the thermostat down, while being kinder on winter-chapped lips and dry sinuses. Having a humidifier that doubles as an "air washer" can keep the air in your home fresh and clean even with the windows closed all season.
For fireplaces, make sure the damper opens and closes properly and that no nesting birds or rodents have gotten in and built nests in the top. Store your firewood in a dry place at least 15 meters away from your house to minimize risk of fire and termite invasion. Schedule a professional inspection at least once a year to have your chimney's structural integrity tested, smoke spillage checked, and the soot and ash cleaned from the fireplace (letting them build up can introduce a major fire hazard). Test the carbon monoxide detector near your fireplace — and if you don't have one, strongly consider getting one for safety purposes.
Inspect & Repair
Autumn is the best time to inspect all the potential problem spots in your home before they actually become a problem that you need to deal with. Inspect your home's foundation, basement walls, siding, and driveway for any cracks or gaps, and have them sealed. Scrape peeling paint and apply touch-ups to siding, trim, and fences, and waterproof sealer to your deck if it's needed. Check and repair your exterior lighting before you lose enough daylight to need it.
Exercise Your Green Thumb
If you're into landscaping, it's best to prepare any planting beds before winter comes, while the soil is still relatively dry. Putting the soil and mulch in this early will make sure you're ready for spring planting when it comes around. You can also plant spring-blooming bulbs and perennials at this point.
Do a final cleanup: pull weeds now to reduce the number of them that return next spring, and mow your grass gradually shorter and shorter until it stops growing.
If you live in an area that experiences a lot of strong winds, make sure to protect your plants, shrubs, and trees with anchors and screens. Planting evergreen trees can also help buffer your property from cold winds.
Finally, night will be coming on earlier, so if you struggle with a dark path you may want to consider installing solar lights or motion sensors as part of your landscape in order to ease your trip.