Home Repair: Weatherization

Is your home ready for winter? Winterize your home and save up 32% on your annual energy bills with these simple and inexpensive weatherization tips.

 

• Caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows that leak air.
• Caulk and seal air leaks where plumbing, ducting, or electrical wiring penetrates through exterior walls, floors, ceilings, and soffits over cabinets.
• Install rubber gaskets behind outlet and switch plates on exterior walls.
• Look for dirty spots in your insulation, which often indicate holes where air leaks into and out of your house. You can seal the holes by stapling sheets of plastic over the holes and caulking the edges of the plastic.
• Install storm windows over single-pane windows or replace them with double-pane windows. Storm windows as much as double the efficiency of single-pane windows and they can help reduce drafts, water condensation, and frost formation. As a less costly and less permanent alternative, you can use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Remember, the plastic must be sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration.
• When the fireplace is not in use, keep the flue damper tightly closed. A chimney is designed specifically for smoke to escape, so until you close it, warm air escapes—24 hours a day!

There are many more valuable weatherization resources available through the following sites;

Puget Sound Energy (http://www.pse.com/Pages/default.aspx)

King County Weatherization (http://www.kcha.org/repairandweatherization/weatherization.aspx)

US Department of Energy (http://www.energysavers.gov/tips/)

Do you have a question for us? Email your Home Repair or Weatherization questions to humanservices@kentwa.gov and our professional staff will get back to you with a solution.