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Why Is My Home So Cold?

  • Professional Exteriors, Inc
  • Jan 2
  • 3 min read

You know it’s winter when-   


Sounds like the beginning to a bad joke, doesn’t it? Except that we all know where the question is going: when you add another blanket to the bed, when you wear the extra thick socks just to watch a movie on the couch, or when you tap the ‘up’ button on the thermostat just one more time. There are dozens of options that all lead to the same place. 



Minnesota winter home under layers of snow
Minnesota home during peak winter

It's winter in Minnesota, and your home is feeling DRAFTY.


Homes can leak heat for dozens of reasons. Leaking heat also means allowing the cold inside.





Your home might feel cold because the largest culprit of home draftiness is Insufficient Insulation




Let's go over why your home might feel cold because of insufficient insulation.


It’s an older home.

Your home might feel cold because back in the day insulation was an after thought. It was crumpled newspaper, pine needles, wood shavings, vermiculite or so many things. They offer very little insulation value and have likely fallen apart in the decades since installation. We’ve come a long way since then, but your home may not have been updated yet. 


They could simply have missed a spot.

Your home might feel cold because insulation, particularly older styles of insulation can settle with age, causing gaps in your coverage. 


Lack of vapor barrier installed under the siding.

Your home might feel cold because older homes didn’t require vapor barrier. The R value (measure of a material's resistance to heat flow) of vapor barrier is typically around 1, but it makes a significant difference in the amount of wind that penetrates the wall system. When combined with the other reasons for poor insulation, it makes an impact. 


Inefficient Windows.

Your home might feel cold because sometimes it's just age and design that cause a window to be inefficient. Updates in technology make a huge impact. Are your windows single pane? Double pane? Low E? Argon? Are the wood sills sagging?


There can be a failure of the "energy efficiency" methods of the window. There can be a leaking seal between panes altering the Low E and Argon in your window. There can be a crack in the glass.


Additionally, you could have bought new windows, and they were improperly installed. Poor support can cause sagging of windows, which can lead to seal failures and gaps in insulation. It's important you hire the right person to install your windows.


Heat Leaks.

Heat leaks occur around wall penetrations. This includes windows, but extends to the following:


  1. Door seals frequently break down or pull off leaving gaps for the wind to blow right inside your home

  2. Dryer vent and furnace vents any number of failures can invite the winter wind into your home

  3. Fireplaces can let the cold in through the same gaps that are designed to allow smoke out



So, what can you do yourself to help increase the heat retention of your home? 


  1. Seals on entry doors - you can buy replacement seals for you doors at any home improvement store. You can also buy additional trim seals for the bottom of your doors. 

  2. The old ‘plastic over the windows’ trick. Is it pretty? No. Is it helpful? Yes. It’s also only a short term fix, but it’ll get you through the cold spell. 


When you’ve done all that and you just can’t keep warm? Contact your local general contractor.


Contact Us


If you're in Minnesota, contact Professional Exteriors Inc. at 763-434-1500 to schedule a FREE inspection. We can assess your home and recommend next steps. 



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