Gloria Moon

Its' always a good idea to winterize your home.

Here are a few tips  I read in the Air Miles Inspired Living Magazine.

- Consider a home energy audit. Investing in a thorough once over inspection of the entire home finding cold spots, heat e, or where energy is being needlesly wasted , can be very cost effect in the end.

- To keep heat evenly circulating around your home install ceiling fans. Ceiling fans help bring the raised heat from the ceiling back down to where it is needed. As an added feature, that same ceiling fan, helps to cool in the summer.

- If double-glazed windows, which provide superior heat-retention, aren't an option, you could purchase plastic-insulating kits, from your local home improvement store, or if not that, purchase extra thick curtains to help keep the cold out.

- Seal cracks - check all your doors, windosows and walls- inside and out for any cracks or gaps that allow drafts through and then seal them with culking. As well have all ductwork inspect and then sealed to make sure you're not loosing heat.

- Consider having that old furnace updated check for gov't insentives for furnace upgrades.  Look for energy star high-efficiency models.  AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating of 88% or greater are suggested. ***tip - did you know a condensing gas furnace uses an average of 33-38% less energy than older models and 10% less energy than a standard high-efficiency one.****