Feel a little uncomfortable in the middle of winter or summer when you swear the temperature is fluctuating while just sitting there? Hot flash? Probably not. The gaps you can find around the windows and doors in your home on average add up to the equivalent of a hole 10″ x 10″. That’s right, 10″ x 10″! You might as well just leave your bathroom window open all year long.
Windows and doors aren’t the only culprit. The tiny space where walls meet floors, and even around electrical outlets are secret places air likes to escape faster than Andy Dufresne out of Shawshank. By stopping these infiltrations you can reduce your homes heating and cooling bills by 40%. Yep, 40%!
So what can we do about this? Three words. Caulking. Weather stripping. Gaskets.
Caulking is perfect for places like window frames, where those walls meet the floor, any place where gaps can be found and there are no moving parts. You don’t need the fancy schmancy caulk with gun. Most types can be purchased in a tube you just drag and squeeze along the offending cracks.
Weather stripping is great for the moving parts of windows in frames. It comes in felt, rubber, foam, plastic, etc. Most are self-sticking. Some, like the metal/rubber strips for where the door meets the threshold need a hammer and nails to install. Still pretty darn easy.
Gaskets are available to go in between the wall and the plastic electrical outlets. They are specially designed just for that. Don’t believe that this is a place where air escapes and isn’t worth the effort? Just put your hand over one on a cold day, and let me know what you find.
All of these items are readily available at your local hardware store. For a few dollars and a few minutes of your time, you can close that permanently open bathroom window…
-Jennifer
www.hotcold.com
The facts and figures courtesy of PG&E’s 30 Simple Energy Things YOU Can Do To Save The Earth.