Content courtesy of Fairfax County’s Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination and Fairfax County Public Library
(Posted 2022 November)
Fall is here and so are colder temperatures. Now is a good time to prepare your home for winter by taking steps to weatherize your home. In addition to making your home more comfortable, these changes will save energy and can help reduce your utility bills.
Fairfax County’s Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination suggests some simple steps you can take to prepare for cold weather:
Heating and Cooling
- Dirty filters make heating and cooling systems less efficient, meaning they use more energy to achieve the same results. Clean or replace filters regularly. Check your owner's manual for guidance.
- Keep vents, radiators or baseboard heaters clean to help them deliver conditioned air more efficiently. Be sure that they are not blocked by furniture, carpeting or drapes.
- Install a programmable thermostat to automatically control the temperature of your home based on a set schedule. You can also adjust the thermostat manually when you leave the house. Turning the temperature up in the summer and down in the winter when you won't be home saves on heating and cooling costs.
- Have your heating and cooling system professionally checked on an annual basis. Your system will perform better and last longer with proper maintenance.
- Ceiling fans can make rooms feel more comfortable without the need to adjust the temperature. In the summer, spin fans counterclockwise to push air straight down. In the winter, spin fans slowly clockwise to move warm air around the room. Remember to turn fans off when rooms are unoccupied.
Air Leaks and Insulation
In addition to saving energy and money, eliminating drafts will make your home more comfortable. Although some drafts can be felt with your hand, many are harder to detect. A useful tool to detect leaks is a thermal imaging camera, which uses color to show the relative temperature of an object. This allows you to see where you might have leaky outlets, drafty doors, missing insulation, and more.
Residents can borrow a thermal imaging camera from Fairfax County Public Library. Please note that a smartphone (Apple or Android) is required to operate the camera. You can place a hold online or in a branch and the camera will be shipped to your local library branch for pick-up. For more information, ask at your local branch or visit Research.FairfaxCounty.gov/lot/thermal-cameras.
Once you've found your problem areas, here are some simple solutions to address the issue:
- Install foam socket sealers behind exterior wall outlets and switch plates to block potential air leaks.
- Install door sweeps on exterior doors to minimize air filtration.
- Add weatherstripping around windows and door frames to ensure there is a tight seal when closed.
- Caulk cracks and gaps that can be found in concrete, around joists or between a home and its foundation. Also caulk around openings to the outside such as plumbing pipes and electrical or cable wiring.
- Have a wood-burning fireplace? Once all embers are finished burning and the ashes are cold, the damper should be closed. You can also purchase a fireplace plug to seal up your chimney in the warmer months of the year.
- Inadequate or missing insulation is often "hidden" in attics, walls, ceilings and floors. A professional energy auditor can assess your home's insulation level and provide cost-effective recommendations. For tips on hiring an auditor, visit FairfaxCounty.gov and search for “Home Energy Assessment.”
Conserve (Energy) Kits
To help county residents weatherize their homes and save money, Fairfax County Public Library has created Conserve (Energy) Kits. Each kit includes tools and consumable items that will seal leaks in your home and help you understand more about how various appliances and devices use energy. Some of the items included in the kit are considered consumables – use what you need and return the rest; all other items are to be returned with the kit along with
any unused consumables.
Conserve Kits may be borrowed for two weeks and are renewable if there are no existing holds. You can place a hold online or in a branch, but the kits may only be picked up at one of five branches – Chantilly Regional, George Mason Regional, Pohick Regional, Reston Regional or Sherwood Regional – and must be returned to the same branch.
Items included in the kit (asterisks indicate consumable items):
- Kilowatt Usage Meter – Measures the amount of electricity used by a particular device to help you understand its power consumption.
- Laser Thermometer – Allows you to safely read temperatures without touching the item being measured. Intended for HVAC, ovens, engines, breaker boxes, doors, and many other uses.
- Mechanical Timer – Turns lamps, fans, seasonal lighting, and other small devices off and on based on your desired times, saving you energy and possibly deterring crime when you are away from home. Try this one out to see if you want one of your own.
- Moisture Meter – Detects moisture content in materials, such as drywall, hardwood, masonry, or softwood, letting you know if it is within normal ranges.
- Thermometer / Hygrometer Gauge – Mini digital thermometer hygrometer allows you to easily know the environment’s temperature and humidity in a space. Great for garage, cellar, closet, greenhouse, refrigerator, freezer, and humidor use.
- Caulking Gun, Caulk*, Finish Tools – Caulk is a flexible material used to seal joints or seams against air or water leaks through cracks, gaps, or joints less than ¼” wide.
- Outlet / Light Switch Insulation Gasket* – Insulation gaskets fit behind the wall plate of light switches and outlets, to seal off draughts of air that flow through your switches.
- Weather Stripping* – Used to stop air leaks on objects that open and close, making heating and cooling your home more efficient. The weather stripping can be used at the bottom of sliding window/door, plastic-steel windows, thresholds, or shower doors.
- Window Insulation Shrink Kit* – Used to add an extra thermal barrier to older windows. Kits feature a clear plastic sheet that shrinks tight and wrinkle free with an ordinary hand-held hairdryer and can be easily installed on metal, painted, varnished wood or vinyl clad window frames.
For more information about the Conserve Kits, visit Research.FairfaxCounty.gov/lot/conserve.
This article is part of the Golden Gazette monthly newsletter which covers a variety of topics and community news concerning older adults and caregivers in Fairfax County. Are you new to the Golden Gazette? Don’t miss out on future newsletters! Subscribe to get the electronic or free printed version mailed to you. Have a suggestion for a topic? Share it in an email or call 703-324-GOLD (4653).