As we spend more time inside during the winter months, there are probably parts of the house that could do with some renovating. Focus on those home improvement projects for colder weather that can increase your home’s resale value while cutting energy costs.
Finishing the Basement
If you have an unfinished basement that feels cold or damp or both, your home could be experiencing significant heat or moisture infiltration (or both). Renovating the basement area increases the usable space in your home. It also adds insulation in the form of insulated walls and flooring, regardless of the type – carpet, tile, wood, etc.
Finishing a Crawl Space
Usually found in older homes, a crawl space is like a basement that you can’t stand up in. It typically has a dirt or gravel floor and is not insulated. Insulating the interior walls of a crawl space, closing or removing the open vents and laying down a vapour barrier or concrete floor will help reduce the amount of heat escaping from your home. A finished crawl space can be used for storage.
Finishing an Attic
An uninsulated attic is one of the biggest sources of heat loss a home can experience. Finishing an attic can help increase your home’s energy efficiency, the amount of available living space, and its resale value. Renovating the attic in the cooler months of the year makes more sense since an attic can become pretty hot in the summer. Pay attention to how the space is vented and insulated. It’s not just about making the space comfortable for the people inside: properly venting and insulating the attic increases the energy efficiency of your roofing system as well.
Installing a Smart Thermostat
A smart thermostat will help you reduce your energy consumption by being able to adjust to changing conditions, showing the household’s energy consumption in real time, and allowing you to control the temperature when you’re not there (remotely). If you’re not ready to embrace home automation just yet, replace a regular thermostat with a programmable one.
