Say No to High Heating Bills

It's fall and in most areas the weather is getting significantly colder. If you let too much of that cold air into your home, you could be paying more than you want to heat your home.

So, take some time this month and take care of all those areas that are letting the cold air in.

Finding where the cold air is coming in can take time, but it's pretty easy. Use the wet finger test. Wet your finger and run it along suspect areas. Since your finger is wet, the wind coming in will feel cold. Mark each area with painter's tape so you can fix them later. Where should you check? a person standing in front of a refrigerator

a person standing in front of a refrigerator

Around windows and doors

Around light fixtures
Around electrical outlets and light switches
Around pipes that are coming through a wall

Once you have the spots identified, there are a few things you can do to stop the wind.

For very small spots around light fixtures, you can use some spackle to fill a small hole. You might have to touch it up with a little paint.

For electrical outlets, take off the plate and add some weather-stripping to fill any gaps where you feel air coming in. Then replace the plate.
For windows and doors, add some weather stripping to stop the wind.
Around pipes, you will want to go to a store such as Lowes or Home Depot. There are several products you can use to pack that area. Be sure and ask what you should use based on the type of pipe you have. Most will probably tell you to pack the space with an insulator.

It might seem like you have plugged tiny holes during this process, but several tiny holes can mean higher heating bills. Just be sure that whatever weatherstripping or insulation you use is high quality, so you don't have to redo your work every year.

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