Weatherproofing Your Home

With the weather outside just beginning to get frightful, it is time to make sure the temperature in your home stays delightful.  Accomplish just that by ensuring that your home is well weatherproofed with these easy steps: Dodge Any Drafts: Take a careful walk around your home, lingering near windows and doors and making note of any drafty or cool areas.  Once you have identified problem spots, break out your caulk gun or weather-stripping supplies to get any leaks squared away.  Looking for a quick fix and feeling crafty?  Whip up a draftstopper for placement at the bottom of a door or window. Warm Up Your Water Heater: Water heating costs amount to nearly 25% of most home energy bills.  With that in mind, every little bit of insulation helps!  To keep your water heater cozy through the cold winter months invest in a water heater blanket.  Particularly effective when used with older units, a water heater blanket can reduce your winter heating bill by 4 – 9%! Occupy Your Outlets: Often forgotten, outlets can be a key source of home heat loss.  Weatherproof your outlets with the installation of foam outlet gaskets.  Easy to install and designed to be placed between your wall or outlet and the light switch cover, these foam tools can stop drafts in their tracks!  Alternately, you can use insulation foam to fill in holes meant for television or cable or outside faucets. Choke Your Chimney: Prevent warm air from escaping through your chimney with the use of a chimney balloon.  This draft stopper is inserted and inflated and then fits snugly above or below your fireplace’s damper to help prevent cold air flowing into your home. Ante Up Your Attic Installation: Attics can be one of the most significant areas of heat loss in the home.  Make sure that your attic is not acting as an energy drain by evaluating your home’s insulation.  Check out this Energy Star guide to help you determine if you have the appropriate amount of insulation in your home. Don’t delay – most weatherproofing projects will quickly pay for themselves in the form of energy savings!