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It’s almost winter here in the Twin Cities, and we’ve already had plenty of snow this year. If your home isn’t doing a great job of keeping up with the cold, winter can mean a whole lot of bundling up under blankets and layering socks.

If winter this year has you cranking up the heat trying to get your home warm and cozy, our experts at Window World Twin Cities can help. We offer a wide range of home improvement upgrades to help your home perform better during the cold winter weather. In this post, we’ll discuss several key upgrades to improve the temperature inside your home and help to reduce your energy bills at the same time. Give us a call to discuss winter weather solutions for your home today.

Investing in Home Improvement Upgrades

All of the components that make up your home’s exterior work together to create a kind of thermal envelope that limits the transfer of heat from inside to outside your home. Any vulnerabilities in your home’s thermal envelope can allow air and moisture to infiltrate your home.

Investing in these components can help to limit heat transfer, keeping your home warm and cozy even on the coldest days and nights:

●        Front doors

●        Entry doors

●        Windows

●        Insulation

●        Siding

●        Roofing

Signs of a Compromised Thermal Envelope

The first thing you need to know about your home’s thermal envelope is that a less than comfortable home is usually tied to outsized energy costs. In other words, if you have trouble keeping your home warm during the winter, you’re probably paying too much on your monthly energy bills.

Here are a few more signs that your home’s thermal envelope could use improvement:

●        Thermostat Wars: If your home’s internal temperature is inconsistent from room to room, it can cause strife that plays out as thermostat wars. Ideally, your home’s internal temperatures should remain consistent throughout. If your bedroom is icy cold but your living room is too hot, you may have an insulation problem. 

●        Drafty Windows and Doors: It’s easy to underestimate the importance of windows in a home’s comfort level. However, heat can escape through poorly insulated windows, causing the space near them to feel drafty and chilly.

●        Cold Walls and Floors: As you walk through your home in socks or bare feet, your floor should feel dry and warm. The same is true for your exterior walls when you touch them. Your home can lose up to 35 percent of its heat through poorly insulated walls.

Upgrading Your Home

The great thing about home upgrades aimed at helping improve your home’s energy efficiency is that there are plenty of options. Don’t feel like you have to replace every window in the home all at once. It’s possible to budget out your home improvements over time and still see improvements in your home’s comfort level and energy bills. Any improvements you make will add value to your home that helps to mitigate the initial cost over time.

These are the best home upgrades to improve your home’s winter comfort level:

1.      Replacement Doors: Window World’s fiberglass replacement entry doors come with an insulated core and a double bulb door bottom sweep that keep cold air out and warm air in. Our high-performance doors also feature rot-free brickmould to withstand the wet and wild winter weather Minnesota often experiences. In addition to entry doors, we also install energy-efficient French and patio doors.

2.      Replacement Windows: Easy-to-clean replacement windows from Window World include 22 layers of weatherstripping, double strength glass, and precision finished welded corners for maximum efficiency.

3.      Insulated Wall Systems: We offer a premium vinyl siding solution with a higher R-value than most siding. Our siding uses an insulating foam and an advanced lock and seal system to help protect your home completely. Insulated wall systems are also durable against water infiltration, preventing mold and mildew proliferation that can lead to structural damage and repelling pests.

Conducting a Home Energy Audit

To determine where your energy investment is best spent, start by conducting an informal energy audit of your home. Begin by walking around your home’s interior to identify drafts and cold spots. Place your hand on your exterior walls and floors. Finally, check around your windows and doors for areas where the seal is damaged and place your hand on the window to check the insulating qualities of the window panes.

Call Our Twin Cities Experts for New Prodigy Insulated Siding

If you’re tired of the cold, our window and siding installation pros at Window World can help. Visit our Design Center to check out siding and window options and see how they’ll look on your home. To connect with a replacement siding specialist, call us at 651.770.5570, You can also contact us online to get your free quote and find out about energy efficient solutions for your Twin Cities home.