You would be able to save a considerable amount of money if you can reduce the cost of heating your house. You can do this by making sure that all your doors and windows have proper seals and will not allow air to escape or leak in. Here are some tips that will help you seal such leaks and save on your energy bill.

1) Attending to cracks in windows.

If you find that there is space between window frames and windows you should make sure that these spaces are properly sealed. Windows are the major cause for air leaking in or out.

A simple and inexpensive way to seal such spaces between windows and window frames is to use caulking to seal up the spaces. You can make this job easy for you if you use a caulking gun. Make sure you use “weather-stripping sealant” which comes in transparent colors and does not damage the paint or the special finish used for your windows.

2) Putting in storm windows.

You will prevent wasteful loss of energy if you install storm windows. These help you save energy because they act as a buffer, trapping air between it and the proper windows. Thus, storm windows help insulate your house and prevent leakage of air.

You can opt to put in wooden, vinyl or aluminium storm windows. Wooden storm windows will have to be taken down in spring. You will not have to do this if you put in vinyl or aluminium storm windows. These can be always left in place.

3) Installing energy efficient weather-stripping doors.

Though most of the air leakage occurs through improperly sealed windows, some amount of air leakage could also occur through doors. It is necessary to make sure that the weather-stripping doors that you already have in place have proper seals.

If you find that these doors do no more than keep out drafts, you could replace them with doors that offers a better seat. Such doors may have vinyl bulb or padded strip that will effectively stop air from leaking out or getting in. You can also consider installing doors which have strips made of brass or bronze. These metal strips are attached to the door jamb.

When these doors are shut they tightly seal the doorway, preventing any leakage of air.

4) Putting in door sweeps or door bottoms.

To make sure that there is no leakage of air through the threshold, you need to install door bottoms or door sweeps. Weather-stripping the doors will seal the sides and tops of the doors but the bottom where the threshold is will be unprotected and will allow air to leak in or out.

Thresholds are subject to a lot of wear and tear and do not lend themselves to sealing the gap between it and the door bottom. This difficulty can be solved by installing either a door bottom or a door sweep. Door sweeps are usually fixed on the inner side of the door at the bottom and this will prevent air leakage through the bottom of the door. You can also use an adjustable threshold to solve the problem of air leakage.

The four methods described above will help you make sure that you stop or minimize air leakage through windows or doors, and make your home energy efficient.