You’ve done everything you can think of inside your cozy Wichita Falls home to improve energy efficiency. You’ve replaced incandescent with LEDs, installed a programmable thermostat, and made sure your air ducts are clean. Now take a look outside your home. Sealed the gaps around windows and doors with weatherstripping. Installation is a little job most homeowners can handle, but it can make a big difference on energy efficiency.
Weatherstripping tackles all those tiny spaces where treated air escapes out and outside air sneaks in. Whether it’s vinyl, metal or adhesive-backed foam, weatherstripping is flexible filling around all your home’s openings.
Worth It?
You’ve already sealed big leaks. Is it worth the trouble to weatherstrip? Consider then that a 1/8th-inch crack all around your front door is the same as a 2 ½-square inch hole in your wall! Would you really leave a hole that big in your house? Seal windows and doors and start saving money and conserving energy.
Choices
Installation takes a few hours in all, but there’s no need to tackle it all at once. First you’ll need to inventory your doors and windows, inspecting them to know how large the gaps are. Measure every edge where a moving window or door meets the house. Buy enough material to do the job, plus a little bit more (for waste and goofs). Look at your choices carefully. What’s good for a window isn’t always good for a door, and you can absolutely mix and match products even on the same part of your home. Doorways need durable materials, while windows need thinner, more flexible materials.
Get to It!
Clean around openings before attaching the materials. Make neat joints and clean cuts in the material. The job may feel big, but don’t give up—even doing one or two windows at a time helps. If you get the feeling your Burkburnett bungalow now has more windows than Buckingham Palace, remember every window you seal with weatherstripping is like money back in your pocket.
If you need help with weatherstripping your Vernon area home, contact James Lane Air Conditioning & Plumbing Co.
