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If you walked outside today you felt the chilly air. I love the fall season. The 90 degree temperatures are in the rear view window and ahead of us are cool evenings in front of the fireplace.

While you’re enjoying the glow of the fire, there’s an unseen battle going on in your home. The warm air is fighting to get out while the cold air is fighting to get in.

The process is natural. It’s called “heat transfer” and the bigger the difference between the outside temperature and the inside temperature, the fiercer the battle.

Cold air on the outside works to suck the heat from inside your home. Heat will transfer the fastest through exposed surfaces like windows, floors, ceilings and walls. That’s why insulation in your home is so important.

Think about it this way. You’re outside on a winter day. The temperature is 20 degrees and you’re wearing a long sleeved t-shirt. Your friend is wearing a goose down jacket. The cold air doesn’t have to work very hard to pull your body heat through your thin t-shirt. It has to work a lot harder to pull your friend’s body heat through all that goose down insulation.

Even windows can be insulated. Double pane windows filled with inert gas like argon are energy efficient and work to keep the cold air out and the warm air in. In addition to insulated windows, the best way to fight heat transfer is to have adequate insulation in your walls and attic.

Cold air on the outside will look for every possible way to enter your home. While you and I are too big to squeeze through a tiny crack in your window frame, cold air slips right through. Add a crack here and there, a small hole in the siding where a TV or internet cable has been fished through, or a small gap in the door where the weather stripping doesn’t quite meet the frame and you have the equivalent of a window left open several inches.

To battle heat loss, do an inspection of your home. Look for even the smallest gaps, cracks and openings where cold air can infiltrate. Solve the problem using the appropriate product, be it insulation, expanding foam, weather stripping, etc.

Know, too, that while the battle goes on your heating system is working to offset the difference. As interior heat escapes and cold air infiltrates, the temperature in your home drops. Your heating system generates BTU’s to maintain the temperature you’ve set on your thermostat.

The professionals at Sinclair will be pleased to evaluate your home for heat loss. They will point out places you’re losing heat and check your system for any problems. A “tight” home combined with an efficient heating system and your winter will be warm and relaxing. Call 806-749-2665 for your appointment today!

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