Keep Warm, Austin Homes

January 24, 2008

Even when buying a new home in Austin, most of us still fret at heating bills (”close the door kids, you’re letting out the warm air!”).  Heating bills are an ageless worry.  Want proof?  How about this magazine ad from 1953:
heating bill worries

Although Austin doesn’t have to have snow tires and we typically wear flip flops for 90% of the year, it can get down into the 30s and 20s (cold by any Texan standard). Even if we just built a custom home, there are things we can do to improve our heating and lower our bills.

Programmable Thermostat

If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, get one- they’re supposedly easy to install and can be inexpensively bought at Home Depot (sorry Lowes, I like orange). Program the temperature to be a little cooler at night to save a few dollars. But don’t forget to reprogram it to warm up around wake-up time so your toes don’t freeze!

Weather Stripping

If you can feel the wind under your front door, you need new weather stripping (which is another inexpensive fix). The door should create a seal and you should not have a wind tunnel effect in your foyer- you’re chunking money out the front door (and into the electric company’s hands!).

Caulking

Like doors, windows should not be a source of air escape. Most homes in Austin built in the last 15 years have double-paned windows (and for those that don’t- it is a great investment when do this year’s home upgrade project). No matter the quality of window, any window can be victim of bad or old caulking that can lead to air escape (or entry). Feel around the window edges to make sure the caulk isn’t cracked (or missing in some cases).

Raccoons in the Attic

While you may not have any animals in your attic or the crawl space between your ceiling and roof, you may have insulation problems which can be a massive wallet-killer. If you have had any sort of critter in your crawl space, they may have disrupted or even removed your insulation, so if your house isn’t warming up, take a peek above your ceiling to make sure the insulation is fine. Upgrading insulation is another great home upgrade project, especially in older homes.

Dryer Doom

Move the dryer from the wall to make sure the tube from the back of your dryer is properly attached to the hole leading outside that allows the heat from the dryer cycle out. I went an entire year once wondering why my laundry room was so cold- duh, the dryer exhaust vent was loose and there was a six inch hole in the wall, completely exposed.

Fireplaces

Honestly, we mostly have fireplaces in Austin for looks, but sometimes it’s pretty to have a fire, so we flip on the gas switch or throw in a log. Then, since we’re out of practice, we go to bed and forget to close the flue (and wake up to a chilly chilly living room). Brush up on your fireplace using skills, guys!

I could go on and on, but these are some of the biggies here in Austin that people from snow states or southern California may not think about. So now we’re all up to speed on being warm Austinites!

Posted by Lani, Asset Director | Filed Under Blog 

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