Take Advantage Of Free Heat

If you’re looking at home improvements this spring, think ahead to colder weather and ways you can make your home cheaper to heat when winter’s winds blows.
You can still do a lot to take advantage of the sun’s heat without thinking about literally turning your home to face the south, since the cheapest form of heat is actually free solar energy.
Landscaping should be considered. If your home is on a wooded lot, then make sure there are no evergreens on the south side of your home. You’ll want the leaves gone as the temperature falls during the winter so that the sun’s rays can hit the roof of your house and any windows, especially those facing the south side, even though their shade was particularly beneficial during the summer. If you have evergreens, have them trimmed or removed.

Make sure that your window treatments will admit the sun in the winter if you have south facing windows. A large portion of the sun’s rays are infrared, which convert to heat as they pass through glass. These rays can be absorbed by anything in the room and will cause floors and furnishing to give off heat after the sun has set.

For maximum absorption of infrared heat, put in tile floors in rooms that get a lot of winter sun. Dark stone or ceramic tile has the capacity to hold more of the sun’s heat and will provide passive solar heat for the rest of the house.

Adding south-facing windows or sliding glass doors can further increase the amount of solar heat you have in your home, meaning less need for other forms of heating.

A patio room or sun room on the south side of your home would be the ultimate addition, to be enjoyed year round and to provide additional heat as well.

These glass enclosed living areas can be too hot for comfort during a hot summer day, but tiled with dark flooring they can be provide a wealth of free heat for the rest of your home during sunny winter days.

You can choose to make one that has shingle or a metal roof just like your house or prefer a totally glass addition. There are rooms of different sizes and shapes to fit your individual preferences made available by many companies. In most cases, all the outside walls are glass, though there are some designs featuring a solid wall at the bottom.

If you have chosen a glass roof, aside from adding a solar furnace to your home, these rooms can provide additional living or entertaining space. They can be decorated as solariums, offices, dining rooms, dens, or fitness areas, without making them a part of the home that must be cooled or heated depending on the season.

Keep the idea of a patio as a part of the construction for additional heating and connect them to your home with doors that can be kept closed during temperature extremes, to reduce the need for additional heating in winter or cooling in summer.

See this great resource to learn everything you need to know about fireplaces including buying a fireplace log rack and firewood carriers.

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