Having a home at the perfect temperature is like getting a hug from your grandma, it’s warm, but not too warm, soft, but not too soft, and delicate, but not too delicate. The perfect home temperature is elusive, however, so elusive that many homeowners only experience fleeting moments of the perfect house temperature before things dip back into the slightly too cold or slightly too hot realms. But the temperature of your home, and maintaining the perfect home temperature, may be more in your control than you think it is. Here are eight steps for you to take to ensure that you always maintain a comfortable temperature in your home

Efficient Windows and Doors

The first place to check for where you are leaking cold or hot air out of your home that causes temperature change and fluctuation is your doors and windows. If your windows and doors don’t seal shut properly, or aren’t efficient enough at sealing out the outdoors, then you are going to be hemorrhaging cold or hot air from your home, and allowing the air from outside in. Make sure that you replace your windows every so often, and splurge on high quality, well sealing windows and doors that are graded for good efficiency. The better windows and doors you have, the more control of your internal temperature you will have.

Weatherstripping

If you can’t replace your windows and doors, or already have and still find that your house is leaking air, then the next step for you is going to be choosing weatherstripping for your windows and doors. Weatherstripping is a material that you place around the edges of your window frames and door frames that provides a tighter, hopefully airtight, seal when your windows and doors close. There are all sorts of different materials that weatherstripping can be made of, so it is important to discuss with a professional what kind of weatherstripping will solve your specific problems at your home.

Insulation

This may seem like an expected and boring step that you have probably already thought about, but nevertheless it is one of the most important things for your home to prevent air leaks and keep your home temperature comfortable. Your insulation is the main component of your house that keeps your home temperature stable. Insulation works to prevent heat or cold air from entering your home by providing a buffer zone of material that absorbs these temperature changes. Overtime, insulation gets weaker, fades, and becomes more likely to develop holes, tears, and other damage that can make it less effective. Make sure that you inspect your insulation regularly and repair any damage or holes that happen so that you can keep your home at a comfortable temperature.

A Fireplace

If you find that your home never stays warm enough during the cold months of winter, then another solution that you should try is installing a fireplace in your home. A fireplace is the traditional method used before central heating to provide heat to homes during the cold winter nights, and the truth is they really work. A roaring fire will emanate heat into your home and help keep things nice and warm. Keep in mind, however, that a fireplace comes with some responsibility. A fireplace requires a lot of work to maintain and keep clean. If you do go the fireplace route, regularly clean your fireplace, and have a professional clean your chimney and fireplace at the beginning and end of the winter season.

Install a Smart Thermostat

Another easy way to keep your home temperature at a comfortable level is to invest in a smart thermostat.Smart thermostats are super easy to install, and offer you greater accuracy, flexibility, and ease with adjusting and maintaining the temperature of your home. Smart thermostats can measure the air temperature of your home very accurately, and now how to adjust your heating and air conditioning systems to ensure that your home stays at the temperature you like it at. Plus, many smart thermostats will allow you to automatically set a nighttime and daytime temperature, and you can even adjust the temperature of your home from your smartphones, so you can turn your A/C on from the road if you need to.

Turn Some Fans On

As crazy as it may sound, even if you have the heat or A/C on, it may help to keep the temperature of your home constant to leave a few fans on. Fans help to circulate the air around your house, which can lead to a more constant air temperature. While one area of your home right around the thermostat may get to a solid temperature and trigger your heat or A/C to turn off, the rest of your home may not experience the same relief. By having a few fans on, you circulate the air better so your whole home reaches the proper temperature.

Clean Your Vents

Nothing can prevent your home from getting the properly conditioned air it needs to maintain temperature like a clogged or dirty vent. When your vents are dirty and clogged up, the air cannot flow out of them, instead the air will travel through your duct to a vent that is not blocked up, which can lead to one room getting more heat or cold air than another room, running the temperature of your home. Clean your vents and ducts frequently and make sure that they are not blocked so that all rooms of your home are getting the air they need.

Make Sure Your HVAC is Properly Sized

If your heat or A/C is a wall unit or a portable unit, and you are having trouble keeping your home at the proper temperature despite following all these other recommendations, then it may be that your air conditioning units are not the proper size or power for the size room you have them in. All A/C and heating units are labeled with their power ratings and the square footage they can maintain temperature in, but many consumers ignore these recommendations. If you find that your units are not strong enough for the size space they are in, you are going to need a bigger unit or more units to maintain temperature.

The temperature of your home is an important thing to maintain. Nobody likes sweating or freezing in their own home. Follow these eight steps to ensure that your home always maintains a comfortable temperature.

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