How to keep old 2 story house warmer, I'm renting ?
I'm renting an old 2 story house. Not very well insulated. I cover the windows with plastic. What else can I do to keep it warmer with a low budget?
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Layer your window treatments and use insulated drapes/curtains--keep them closed when the temperature is at it's lowest and the wind is howling! Buy the slide on door draft stoppers and put them on all exterior doors. Wear socks, slippers and an extra sweater/sweatshirt. Bake often! Suppliment in the rooms you use with a safe electric space heater--closing off the rooms you aren't using--but keep the heat on int hose rooms but maybe at a lower 65 degrees.
Close the curtains/drapes when the sun sets and open them to let the light and heat in.
We just installed a U shaped door sweep. That keeps the cold air from seeping under the bottoms of your doors. It snaps into place to no drilling and perfect on rentals.
When you bake as soon as you are done open the oven door so that warm air going into the house. Do the same after running your dryer.
Shut the doors and/or vents in rooms you don't use or use very seldom.
Check the caulking around your windows. Caulking gets old and brittle over time. A new bead all the way around the window and door frames can keep the cold air out too.
Also …. wear hoodies! Or knitted hat that will keep the warmth of your body trapped inside your body day and night time! Gk great advise …. we use heating blankets to warm up the beds before everyone goes to bed. In the old days, they would heat stones or bricks in the fireplace then wrap them in cloth before placing them in the beds to warm them.
Bubble wrap on the windows and I purchased quilt batting to hang behind my regular curtains. I used clip on rings for this. Also there are insulator things to put behind your outlet covers that help. You can also use foam board insulation covered in fabric as headboards, especially on outside walls. Good luck.
Take a lit candle check outlets and baseboards, windows , if the flame flickers, there is cold air coming in. If you are of a certain age, or income level, you might might qualify for weatherization assistance.
start by walking arround your house, check the flapper on the dryer vent if you have a dryer. Lint can build up and prop the flapper open. Check where pipes enter and exit the house. Those should be sealed by caulking arround the pipe. Check your baseboards if you have a basement some times they dry out and gaps appear - caulk them. Check your windows...latch and lock them in the down position. If the candle flame flickers put a closed cell foam strip on the bottom Of the window sash. Then shrink wrap all windows. Find the one that you take a hair dryer to..it gets the tight seal. The window glides - metal parts of the window can cause drafts, so do the shrink wrap plastic starting an inch or 2 away from the window frame. If you have pipes going thru the roof, check them as well. There should be a mastic or caulk arround them.
this is just a partial list.
Even if your renting, this hopefully will cut down on your heating bill, and get you warmer. Some will say shut down the register in un used rooms, keep the door shut.My hvac guy and I had a chat....he says to keep the air circulating in all rooms. Less chance of condinsation on walls, windows...less water less chance of mould.