Safely keep your house warm this winter

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - In these frigid temperatures we all want to stay warm without breaking the bank.  Fortunately, there are some inexpensive ways to help keep your house warm.  The key thing to remember is safety.

Bill Marker from Connolly’s Do It Best showed us some of the things he has in his store.  Most of the products are meant to keep the cold out rather than make extra heat.  But as Bill explains, it can be a huge money saver in the long run.

"If you don’t have a seal around your door, you know, that crack is real small.  It can be a quarter of an inch.  But, that’s going to allow enough air coming through, that it would be like a twelve inch hole in the middle of a wall.  The same amount of air is coming through that door as in a hole in a wall."

Some of the things Bill showed us included plastic window coverings for both inside and outside your home, removable sealers, draft blockers for the bottom of your door, and electrical outlet sealers.  Most of these items range from $5-$25.

Other things most people use are space heaters and fireplaces.  The issue with these items is safety.  You can’t leave these items unattended like you can a window cover.  Stacey Fleming from the Fort Wayne Fire Department had some interesting statistics on fires.

"In 2010, heating equipment was the second leading cause of home fires across the United States.  57,000 fires were caused, 490 deaths, 1500 injuries, and more than a billion dollars in property damage.  So it’s not so much that the equipment failed, it’s actually user error."

Stacey also wanted everyone to remember that simple upkeep of your fireplace will help avoid any issues.  When using a space heater, use the 3 foot circle rule.  Keep all furniture, curtains, and people at least 3 feet away.  She also wanted to remind everyone to NEVER use their stove as a way to heat your home.