Read more: 11 Creative Window Covering Hacks That Aren't Curtains Or Shades While crawl space vents serve an important purpose, it is true that they can lead to increased heating costs in the winter.

My dad tells me I should cover my crawlspace vents when the temperature drops below 25 degrees. My concern in so doing is that we might be inviting problems. Specifically we have had rat problems ...

Q-We have a crawl space under our house that we use for occasional storage. A number of vents were installed that go through the foundation to allow cross ventilation in this crawl space.

There are two crawl space vents on opposite sides. I am getting mixed signals from contractors, plumbers, HVAC people and others as to whether the vents should be kept open or closed in the winter.