OK, I was thinking the other day and was wondering what else can one do to help winterize your house in a grid down scenario.
Well several ideas came to me. First was to address the areas that will loose heat. Your windows are one of the biggest areas that heat loos will occur. Well to help reduce this loss you can use bubble wrap and tape it up over the windows. If it is really cold use a couple of layers, then tack up a wool blanket over the window as well. You can also buy cold weather covers/blinds/drapes that can cover the window as well.
Also use a heavy wool blanket and cover any outside doors as well. If you haven't invested the time or money yet, get and add extra insulation in your attic. you should have at least an R-50 above your head. Research what insulation will work best in your area. You can often rent the equipment to spray it out your self at a good price. If you can invest add extra insulation to your walls as well, both of these will also help guard against summer heat.
Remember to find the draft areas and plug them! Under doors, pet doors, etc. You can have a lot of heat loss through these. Also remember the room method. Any room you don't need to use, seal up and focus on how to keep the other rooms warm.
With just a few cold proofing ideas you can make your home more comfortable during an emergency.
Well several ideas came to me. First was to address the areas that will loose heat. Your windows are one of the biggest areas that heat loos will occur. Well to help reduce this loss you can use bubble wrap and tape it up over the windows. If it is really cold use a couple of layers, then tack up a wool blanket over the window as well. You can also buy cold weather covers/blinds/drapes that can cover the window as well.
Also use a heavy wool blanket and cover any outside doors as well. If you haven't invested the time or money yet, get and add extra insulation in your attic. you should have at least an R-50 above your head. Research what insulation will work best in your area. You can often rent the equipment to spray it out your self at a good price. If you can invest add extra insulation to your walls as well, both of these will also help guard against summer heat.
Remember to find the draft areas and plug them! Under doors, pet doors, etc. You can have a lot of heat loss through these. Also remember the room method. Any room you don't need to use, seal up and focus on how to keep the other rooms warm.
With just a few cold proofing ideas you can make your home more comfortable during an emergency.
Some good ideals Nick. When I was youth and living in the northern tiers of the U.S. my parents used clear plastic taped to the window seals along with heavy curtains to stop the cold from entering the house. I guess this is how double paned windows were created. Anyhow, here in Texas curtains are sheer and useless against the Winter elements. So In a grid down situation of unknown duration, I would recommend either heating one small room or using a tent indoors to conserve on heating supplies. The smaller the space, the less energy it will take to heat.
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