10 Lesser Known, Very Easy Tips to Help You Better Conserve Energy in Your Home

If you have holes, cracks, or even gaping holes anywhere in your home, then you run the risk of letting precious air conditioning (in the summer) or heating (in the cooler months) out. You also run the risk of allowing insects or even rodents, a prime entryway into your home. Of course you know the basic ways to avoid these types of issues, such as keeping doors and windows closed as much as possible, having proper installation, and baffles in place, and putting up storm windows during the winter, but here are ten more lesser known tips that will help you to save money, and better protect your home from outside pest and rodent invaders.

One: Air is notoriously lost through the crack at the bottom of a door. One very easy way to alleviate this problem is to put a door sweep in place. You can get a vinyl, felt, cloth or rubber type and they fit any door size, regardless of irregularity. They are simple to install and save a lot in wasted energy. If your garage is attached to your house, you have the worry of air coming in through, or escaping via the garage door as well, so purchasing a door sweep for the garage (there is a variety that is made specifically for this purpose) is essential as well for keeping energy costs down.

Two: You know that having proper seals around your windows is important, but there is also a way to save air from escaping, or entering, depending on the season, via tubular gaskets that are meant to cover up those moving parts. These too, are inexpensive and easy to install.

Three: Removing the base shoes at your baseboards and spraying insulation foam into the gap will protect you twofold. One, it will keep insects at bay and two it prevents air from escaping or entering into your home via the ever present gap between your baseboards and floorboards. Just be sure not to over spray and remove any excess immediately after replacing the base shoes.

Four: You can spray your insulating foam around more than just the obvious cracks and gaps in and around the home. For instance, spraying the foam around outdoor water faucets, spigots, and other obtrusions on your home is a great way to keep bugs and nature out and keep heat or air conditioned air in. It also helps to prevent natural cracking that can arise from these obtrusions being present. Don't forget to fill the area between the siding end and foundation of the home either. You can use the foam, or use a foam caulking rope meant to seal where caulk cannot easily reach.

Five: If you have a basement, put cover window wells in place. These are easy to install and come in attractive styles and designs that will not detract from the beauty of your home. They are fantastic for keeping rodents out and helping control energy costs as well.

Six: Use the caulk gun to seal areas such as around the square or rectangular frame of the dryer vent, around gaps in doors and windows, and any other area that you think might cause a problem. You can use a caulk that easily peels away for seasonal use in areas that need an extra layer of it during specific times of the year (such as for adding an extra protection layer in gaps around windows and doors).

Seven: Pop the receptacle and switch covers off in your home and add a sealer behind them. It is superbly simple to do and they can be found at any local home improvement store. So many people think there is nothing they can do to avoid the small amounts of heat that are lost in these areas, but it simply is not true, and every little bit, when it comes to energy conservation, is important.

Eight: Insert a metal v-channel to the bottom rail of your top window piece to seal up the precious air losing gap that occurs between the two sashes. It takes a small amount of time to do and the expense is minimal at best. The return on loss of air makes it well worth the effort.

Nine: Check your door thresholds to see if they are in pristine order. If they are not, you can bet air is being lost (or unwittingly gained) via this entryway (not to mention insects thrive on these faults to gain admittance into your home). Replace damaged thresholds at once. If the area is not damaged, you can clean any loose debris from them that may be accumulated.

Ten: Inspect your wooden doors carefully. Even the most careful of planners can overlook the small cracks that exist within the wood panels because they so readily blend in. If you discover them, apply a coating of epoxy wood filler that you have stained to match the color. Sand and touch up with stain as necessary.

These ten steps, while all relatively inexpensive and easy to perform, are often overlooked when energy conservation efforts abound. A careful inventory of your home to note where these issues apply to you can easily help you to save time, energy and money.