Save on Energy Costs By Weatherizing Your Home

Homes often have cracks and openings around doors and windows. These gaps are a major source of heat loss and can account for up to one third of your home’s overall heating costs. That’s why you should apply caulk and weather stripping around your doors and windows. Learn more in this video by The Home Depot:

Checking for Leaks

When checking for leaks, while some are easy to detect such as the crack of light beneath the front door on a sunny day or the rush of cool air coming from a window on a blustery day, others are not so obvious. Here is an easy way to detect leaks around doors and windows:

1. On a windy day, turn off the AC unit.
2. Close windows and doors.
3. Turn on bath fans and stove vents.
4. Light a stick of incense and pass it along the edges of the doors and windows. Wherever the smoke is sucked out or blown into the room there is a leak.

Caulking

Caulking around doors and windows is an easy energy-saving DIY project. There are several types of caulking compounds:

Latex is cost-efficient, easy to work with and can be painted. It can be used on a variety of surfaces and cleans up nicely with soap and water.
Silicone is flexible and durable, perfect for use around doors and windows in areas exposed to moisture or direct sunlight. It cannot be painted as it is engineered to not have anything stick to the surface.
Polyurethane provides outstanding adhesion and is durable, but it can be difficult to work with. It is engineered for exterior use and can be applied to a damp or wet surface if needed.
Hybrid products provide the best of each technology without the drawbacks. They can be applied to any surface and painted in a relatively short period of time and provide a durable long-lasting seal regardless of where they’re used.

Most products come in a 10 oz. cartridge and are applied with a caulking gun. Latex and silicone products are also available in smaller squeeze tube sizes.

Before applying new caulk, remove old caulking with a utility knife or scraper. Carefully clean away dirt and debris and allow the surface to dry.

Apply caulk by following these steps:

Load the caulk gun by pulling back the plunger and placing the tube of caulk into the chamber, bottom end first. Squeeze the trigger until it makes contact with the tube.
Cut the tip to the desired bead size at an angle using the pin on the caulk gun to puncture the seal if needed. Apply pressure by squeezing the gun until the product makes its way to the end of the nozzle.
Holding the gun at a 45 degree angle to ensure the gap is covered, squeeze the trigger as you push the gun away from your body to ensure you’re using enough caulk to fill the gap.
When finished, release the trigger at the end of the seam, pushing the tip of the nozzle into the corner to cut off the strip of caulk and then twist slightly as you lift the nozzle.

Make sure to cap the top of the nozzle as most caulks can be stored and reused at a future time.

There are a variety of methods you can use to smooth the caulk, ranging from running your finger along the bead tousing a professional caulk tool for optimal results. The type of caulk you use may impact the method you used for smoothing.

Weather Stripping

Weather stripping around doors and windows is another cost-effective way to reduce energy waste. Even the most inexperience do-it-yourselfer can apply weather stripping. Weather stripping products come in many different forms and can be made of a combination of materials such as wood, rubber, vinyl, metal and foam. To determine the type of weather stripping that will be most effective in the area you’re trying to seal, consider factors like the amount of friction it will have to withstand, exposure to weather, and any cosmetic concerns you may have with it being seen.

Adhesive backed foam tape is sold in rolls in varying widths and thicknesses with a sticky back. Cut it to the desired length and apply it to the top and bottom of the window sashes or inside door frames.

V-strip, also known as tension seal, is a durable plastic or metal strip folded into a V-shape that springs open to bridge gaps. You can cut it to length and either peel and stick it or nail it along the sides of double-hung or sliding windows.

Felt is another great choice for weather stripping around a door or window sash or in a door jamb. Felt is easily nailed or stapled in place and compresses to allow smooth movement of doors and windows.

For the base of doors and windows, the top or bottom or a window sash, or between a door and its jamb, tubular rubber is an effective air barrier. Made up of narrow sponge rubber or vinyl tubing sometimes attached to a wood or metal mounting strip, tubular rubber comes peel and stick or can be fastened with screws through slot holes.

Any well-sealed door requires a door sweep. Door sweeps are flat or U-shaped pieces of plastic, aluminum or stainless steel fitted with a strip of nylon, plastic, or vinyl, or a sponge brush to fill the space between the door and threshold. Cut it to your door’s width and install it along the bottom of the interior side of the door with screws. Door sweeps keep cool air and heat in and insects and other unwelcome visitors out.

Altogether, you can save up to $200 a year in heating and cooling costs by sealing and insulating your home with Energy Star rated products.