Simple But Important Tips for Insulating and Shading Your Home
Insulating and shading your home will make the interior more comfortable, while also helping to reduce your energy bills throughout the year. Installing new insulation itself can be the best choice for protecting your home, but it's not your only option for creating that comfortable interior temperature. Note a few simple but important tips for insulating and shading your home so it's cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter and you save as much as possible on your utility bills.
Deciduous trees
Deciduous trees lose their leaves every winter and then regrow them every spring. This may not seem important, but tree leaves shade your home from summertime sun; losing leaves in the fall means losing that shade during winter, allowing sun to pass through the tree's branches. This will keep your home cool during summer while allowing some warmth to reach it during wintertime.
Drywall over bare walls
A basement or attic that's not finished isn't just unsightly, as these spaces let in cold and heat throughout the year. Adding a layer of drywall over these walls will help to insulate the space and will also keep out moisture and humidity, which traps heat and cold. This, too, will mean lower utility costs and a more comfortable interior.
Thick curtains
Weatherproofing your windows with caulk will cut down on drafts and cold air coming inside, but you might also add thick curtains with a dense weave to the fabric. These also help to stop drafts around the windows and can keep out any heat or cold that collects around the window frame. Thick curtains will help keep your heating or air conditioning inside the space, not allowing it to pass through the window glass.
Outdoor blinds
Outdoor blinds work in the same way as curtains to provide insulation along the windows, keeping out cold air and hot sunshine when needed. They also protect windows from strong winds, which can help avoid a window rattling out of place, so there may be fewer gaps that form along the windows. In turn, your home may suffer fewer drafts and less cold or hot air getting inside, and less of your heating and air conditioning escaping along the window frames.
Plantings
Work with a landscaper to decide the best plants to add along the home's exterior to help hold moisture in place and to keep it from collecting around the foundation. If this moisture collects around the foundation and softens it, the foundation won't work as well to keep out cold and heat; moisture may also collect in the basement, and this will also trap cold and heat in the home throughout the year.