Christmas and New Year may be over, but we have at least three more months of cold ahead of us in the majority of the US. Which is why, no matter how deep into the winter season we are, there’s still time to improve our homes—at least if we like to stay toasty and have low utility bills.
Stopping air from leaking in and out of your house is a budget-friendly way to lower utility bills, protect your home, and make the space healthier and more comfortable. Using caulk and weatherstripping are two easy fixes that work well and usually pay for themselves in under a year. You normally use caulk for gaps between things that don’t move, like frames, while weatherstripping is for sealing moving parts like doors and windows.
The main cause of those cold drafts at home: air leaking
Leaks happen when outside air gets in and your heated or cooled air escapes through random cracks. You really shouldn’t count on these accidental leaks to provide fresh air. When it is windy or cold, way too much air can get inside. On the other hand, when the weather is mild and calm, not enough air gets in, which creates poor air quality inside.
Leaking air can also lead to dampness, which hurts your health and damages the house. Plugging up those gaps gets rid of drafts and cold spots, making your home feel much better.
How to tackle all this heat escaping our home
Start by getting a professional opinion; bring in an energy auditor or a weatherization pro to check how airtight your house really is. When you are ready to tackle the leaks yourself, use caulk and weatherstripping to seal up drafty doors and windows. You should also hunt for gaps where pipes, ducts, or wires poke through the walls, floors, and ceilings—or even the soffits above your cabinets—and seal those openings.
For any bigger holes you find around windows or baseboards, expanding foam sealant is usually the best tool for the job.
Pay attention to the smaller details and visual clues inside your home. It helps to put foam gaskets behind your light switches and outlets to stop drafts there. Keep an eye out for dirty patches on your insulation, ceiling paint, or carpet, as these often mean air is sneaking in through the joints or floors
If you find mold or leaks in the insulation, use low-expansion spray foam to fix it—adding flashing if necessary—or simply grab the caulk gun for those seams where the walls meet the floor and ceiling.
Finally, look at your larger equipment and structural openings. Consider swapping out old single-pane windows for more efficient double-pane ones that have low-emissivity coatings. Check your exterior doors and replace the bottoms or thresholds with new ones that feature flexible, tight-sealing gaskets.
Don’t forget the dryer vent; making sure it isn’t clogged saves power and helps stop fires. If you have a fireplace, keep the damper shut when you aren’t using it, and be sure to seal any gaps around the chimney, furnace, or water heater vents using fire-proof materials like sheet metal or high-heat caulk.
Fireplaces, the main point of airdrafts in houses
Since fireplace flues are metal, the constant cycle of heating up and cooling down can eventually make them warp or crack, which allows air to leak out. If you want to seal up the flue when you aren’t using it, you might look into getting an inflatable chimney balloon. These tough plastic balloons sit right under the flue, and you can easily take them out and use them again hundreds of times. Don’t worry if you forget to take it out before starting a fire, because the heat will make it deflate in just a few seconds.
If you are handy around the house, you can make a cheap, reusable plug yourself by stuffing a garbage bag with leftover fiberglass insulation and shoving it into the flue. Make sure to tie on a strong cord with a tag that dangles down into the fireplace; this serves as a reminder that the blockage is there and gives you an easy way to pull the plug out later.
To really cut down on costs related to the fireplace, have a certified pro install an EPA-approved insert to replace what you currently have.
So now you know; if you always wonder how come your home is never at a confortable temerature despite cranking up the central heating, maybe it’s time for a thorough inspection to see where all that heat you are paying for is going! Good luck, and stay cozy!