Keep Your Home Warm During BC Winters

The climate in British Columbia varies depending on your region. The interior has cold and snowy winters, whereas the coast has mild and rainy winters. When winter arrives, many homeowners notice that their homes are colder than they’d like, and their heating bills skyrocket!

Wearing mittens, scarves, and slippers all the time isn’t practical, so what can you do about it?

Family warming up hands over electric heater

The first and easiest thing you can do is check for drafts coming from doors and windows around your home. BC Hydro recommends draftproofing your home, and provides some tips on their website at https://www.bchydro.com/powersmart/residential. Sealing leaks in your home saves you money as well as making your home more comfortable, since damp air in your home makes you feel colder than it is, and dry air causes dry throats and skin.

The next thing you can do is use a programmable thermostat to manage the temperature in your home. Most people are comfortable at 21° during the day, and around 16° at night and when not in the home. Regulating the temperature in your home can lead to significant savings, rather than turning the heat up and down in extremes when you need it.

For a more permanent solution, homeowners can look into updating their insulation, installing new windows, or upgrading to an efficient fireplace.