Published November 02, 2009 06:26 am - Among other tips, says columnist Amy Ivy, save energy and keep warmer this winter by adding a length of thin foam weather-stripping to the tops and bottoms of your double-hung window sashes before locking them shut.

Cut down winter bills by blocking drafts


By AMY IVY, Cornell Co-op Extension

DID YOU KNOW?


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You can really feel the weather changing now. I've tried to take advantage when it's nice out on my days off to work at putting my gardens to bed for the winter. I like to cut a clean edge around my flower beds, cut down the straggly-looking perennials and do a final and thorough weeding.

But when the weather is rainy and cold, I shift my focus indoors and work at buttoning up our house for the winter.

Here's my annual reminder: The time you spend now blocking as many drafts as you can will save you a significant amount on your home-heating bill this winter. Here are some inexpensive, do-it-yourself actions you can take that will really make a difference.

LOCK YOUR WINDOWS
We love a breeze in the summer, but now it's time to seal up all those seams and joints in your windows.

  Try adding a length of thin foam weather-stripping to the tops and bottoms of your double-hung window sashes before locking them shut. This foam comes in different thicknesses and widths. You may have to experiment to figure out which dimensions work best for you.

  The action of just locking your windows pulls them more tightly shut.

  Rope caulk is one of my favorite products because it's so easy to use. It's an inexpensive, putty-like product that comes in a roll. You just peel off as thick a rope of putty as you like, using only your fingers, and press it into place. I put rope caulk along all the edges of my window sashes, both the double-hung and casement types. I go all the way up the sides and across the tops and bottoms. The caulk is just temporary and is easy to peel off in the spring.

  I have heard and talked about putting a sheet of plastic over your windows for years, but it took me until two years ago to finally try it myself. I immediately became hooked — this product works great! The shrink-film type is easy to install. Use the double-sided tape to fasten a sheet of this plastic all around your window frame. Then blow warm air from a hair dryer and watch it shrink tight. The shrinking step makes the plastic disappear; you really can't see it except at certain angles.

  If you have many windows to cover, especially if they are in seldom-used rooms or rooms you only use in the evening so you don't need to see outside, you can also use just regular plastic drop cloths, pinned in place over each window. This plastic is more milky and doesn't shrink to fit so it's much more noticeable that the shrink-film products. But it costs much less and so is practical in certain situations.

FOAM GASKETS
Once your windows are as sealed up as you can get them, take a look at your furniture. Our living-room sofa runs right along the coldest wall of our house and blocks the heat register along that wall. By pulling the sofa out a couple of feet or rearranging the furniture so it's perpendicular to the wall, the heat from the register can move through the room more easily. As an added benefit, I won't feel so cold sitting on the sofa with the cold wall right behind me.

One last easy step is to install foam gaskets behind the electrical outlets and switch plates on all of your exterior walls. These gaskets are very inexpensive and easy to install with just a screwdriver. Those child-proof outlet caps also help block drafts, so use them whether or not you have little ones in your house.

For more information and ideas on energy saving tips and programs call (877) NY-SMART or visit www.getenergysmart.org/.

Amy Ivy is executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Clinton County. Office phone numbers: Clinton County 561-7450, Essex County 962-4810, Franklin County 483-7403. Web site: www.cce.cornell.edu/ecgardening. E-mail questions to askMG@cornell.edu