There are a number of ways you can reduce energy costs this winter. And if this is your first cold season after moving into a new home, what better time to start than now? You can wait until November or December to turn on your home’s heat. You can keep your thermostat set to a chilly 68 degrees or lower. But you want to save money and be comfortable, right? That’s when weatherizing your home can help. Don’t suffer or walk around in a sweater all year in your own home. Follow these six weatherizing tips to help your home hold in the heat you do use, keep you warm and toasty and reduce your energy bills.

1. Weatherstripping Is Your Friend

Put “check windows and doors” at the top of your moving checklist in your new home. Reduce drafts around windows and doors by adding weatherstripping or caulking around poorly sealed doors and windows. Better yet, replace your entire window and frame with a new, energy efficient model.

2. Seal Your Windows

Use a plastic sealant that goes over windows (like shrink-wrap) to reduce your window’s U-Factor (the window’s insulation quality). These kits are inexpensive enough to purchase at your local big box retailer or home improvement store but, in a pinch, you can even use bubble wrap.

3. Use Foam Gaskets

Minimize drafts through electrical outlets and light switches, especially those on outer walls, with foam gaskets. These pieces of foam, sold in many weatherizing kits, are easy to install. Just unscrew the plate, place the foam inside and replace the plate.

4. Eliminate Drafts

Use draft stoppers at the bottom of doors and around window sills. Draft stoppers now come in fun, whimsical designs, with animal faces at one end and a tail at the other, or in subdued colors to match any interior. If you have a zoned heating system, turn off the heat in rooms you’re not using (such as bedrooms during the day) and add a draft stopper to interior doors, as well. BestOfNewEngland.com even sells scented draft-stoppers to give your home a seasonal scent.

5. Add Drapes

Add energy efficient window coverings. In addition to weatherstripping and sealing your windows, consider energy efficient drapes to help block the cold and reduce winter energy costs.

6. Reinsulate Your Walls and Attic

This can be a big, expensive job that can send your home into disarray (and your budget into a tailspin). But remember, insulating doesn’t have to be done all in one shot. Whenever you redecorate, take the opportunity to re-insulate those walls before you paint. Spray-foam insulation with a high R-factor makes insulating easier and less invasive—and the cost savings you realize by reducing your energy bills may permit you to splurge on some new home decor items. Also pay attention to areas where plumbing and ductwork are visible. Reinsulating ductwork can offer significant cost savings in both heating and cooling bills.

Taping your moving boxes correctly can mean the difference between Grandma’s china arriving in good shape or a million pieces. Learn how to tape moving boxes so that everything gets to your new home in the condition it left the old one.

Choose the Right Moving Boxes and Packing Materials

·         Moving boxes don’t have to be expensive. There are sources for cheap moving boxes online and at moving companies. Just make sure the boxes you use are sturdy.

·         To pack efficiently, you need the right packing supplies like bubble wrap, biodegradable packing peanuts, newspaper, tissue paper, towels, etc.

·         Pick up proper packing tape—not Scotch tape or masking tape but tape specifically designed for packing, preferably in a tape dispenser. A strong, high-quality tape will mean you will use less tape on each box.

·         You have the option to buy “moving kits”—pre-made kits full of moving supplies—but you can also purchase the supplies you’ll need individually.

·         As tempting as it is to put a ton of your stuff into big boxes, it’s best to pack heavy items into small boxes, which are easier to manage. Make sure each box you pack is sturdy and filled to the flaps—concave moving boxes don’t stack well and can collapse in on themselves.

Don’t Let the Bottom Fall Out

Simply overlapping opposite flaps on the bottom of a moving box will not make a container secure enough. Start assembling your box by having your tape ready. Besides securing your items, it’s important to know that movers may not move your boxes if they are packed incorrectly. You could be charged if they need to repack them.

Start Taping

·         Take your moving box and start by folding in the smaller bottom flaps. Then fold in the larger flaps. Flip your box and start taping.

·         Professional movers usually use “H” taping. The middle of the H is the middle seam of the box. Tape that first and then put a strip of tape all the way down both sides where the flaps were folded in.

·         If it’s a really heavy load, tape from corner to corner in an “X” manner to reinforce the bottom.

·         After taping, make sure that the tape is flat and sticking to the box. When you’ve filled your box, close the top with the same H pattern.

Get Out of a Sticky Situation

If you’re one of those folks who’s ever wasted time trying to find the end of the tape roll, there’s an easy fix. After each taping, fold over a ¼- to ½-inch section of the tape onto itself and pull it out onto the tearing mechanism. You will then have a little “tab” that you can grab to start taping the next part.