Winter Windows
I like light, sunshine, all that. Growing up in the midwest we had long, long stretches of gray weather in the Winter. Here, we get sunshine fairly regularly. It's so nice! Still, the days are so much shorter in the Winter, so I want to let in as much of that sunshine as I possibly can.
This week I began washing windows, just to remove any dust or dirt that would keep out that precious sunlight. When the weather turns cold, we'll remove screens too. It makes the rooms much brighter.
On the other hand, windows are a big source of heat loss. We want to do what we can to keep the propane in the tank and the firewood in the woodpile. We have pretty good windows - double paned and nice and tight, but we're going around with the caulk gun, checking for gaps that might have formed.
I'm also looking at designs and gathering materials for window quilts. Once I get those going, I'll do a post! Basically, it's a thick window covering that helps to slow down the transfer of heat/cold through the window. There are all sorts of them on the market - some with vapor barriers, reflective backings, heat-absorbent backings...but mine will just be 'quilty'. I'm going for simple, and do-able, and affordable.
I've been learning about something super-simple called a 'heat catcher' as well. More on that once I get one made and try it out!
What have you been doing to prepare for Winter?
This week I began washing windows, just to remove any dust or dirt that would keep out that precious sunlight. When the weather turns cold, we'll remove screens too. It makes the rooms much brighter.
On the other hand, windows are a big source of heat loss. We want to do what we can to keep the propane in the tank and the firewood in the woodpile. We have pretty good windows - double paned and nice and tight, but we're going around with the caulk gun, checking for gaps that might have formed.
I'm also looking at designs and gathering materials for window quilts. Once I get those going, I'll do a post! Basically, it's a thick window covering that helps to slow down the transfer of heat/cold through the window. There are all sorts of them on the market - some with vapor barriers, reflective backings, heat-absorbent backings...but mine will just be 'quilty'. I'm going for simple, and do-able, and affordable.
I've been learning about something super-simple called a 'heat catcher' as well. More on that once I get one made and try it out!
What have you been doing to prepare for Winter?
Comments
-homesteph
For the first two, I'm actually using quilts I already have. They will be my learning curve, and I'm sure that once they are up, I will have a better sense of what I want/need/like/dislike.
Mostly, I want to keep this fairly simple. I'm trying to use things we already have too. Also...our windows are fairly new, nice and tight, so the simple ones may be enough for us.
Again, thanks so much for the info. :)