Features Every Home in a Cold Climate Needs to Create Warmth

Building a new home requires a lot of consideration. On top of keeping up with the trends and incorporating everything you want to see in your dream home, you have to account for the climate. You cannot build a beach home and expect it to perform like a mountain home. For that reason, architects and contractors have a list of elements that have to be included in a home that will be in a certain climate. If you are building a home in a cold climate, here are the most important features you should include. 

Simple gable roof

When it falls on a flat surface, snow can pile up. If the flat surface is your roof, the pile-up can add dangerous amounts of weight. That is why if you are building in an area prone to heavy snowfall, you have to account for this. The best way to prevent the buildup of snow on your roof is to go with a gable roof design. This has two sloping sides and is steep enough to force the snow to fall off to the ground. 

Installing a deicing cable system in the roof and gutters will also come in handy. The deicing cable system will detect and melt the snow before it builds up. This helps prevent the formation of ice dams too. 

Wide, flat walkways

The walkways to and from your house have to be wide to allow easy shovelling. They also need to be flat. To avoid the need for shovelling and the use of other methods to get rid of ice on your walkways or driveways, you can install driveway heating. The technology works by melting the snow that falls on your driveway or walkway.

While it is not cheap, it will save you a great deal of time, money and effort, which would otherwise be spent on traditional snow removal. The system can be set to activate automatically or with the flip of a switch. 

Airtight windows 

Windows make up 10 to 25 percent of a home’s heating bills. They are the main sites where heat leaks through. Installing double-paned, airtight windows will reduce the amount of heat that is lost. You can also go for a triple pane window if you live in an area with an extremely cold climate. Weather stripping is yet another thing you can do to keep cold air from getting into your house. 

Radiant heat

Do your floors get too cold? Do you need the perfect solution to supplement your HVAC? If you answered yes to any of these questions, installing radiant heat is the best investment you will ever make if you live in an area with an extremely cold climate. This type of heating relies on heating coils located beneath the floors. It is an excellent investment because it keeps areas warm longer, doesn’t rely on air circulation to heat a room, and is very energy efficient. 

Heavenly Heat is happy to offer solutions that keep your home comfortable all year. We can also help you say goodbye to shovelling thanks to our driveway heating systems. Call us now to find out more.