Home insulation: DIY tips for winterized windows

Planning for the cold weather months saves homeowners time and money. The financial savings involve reducing drafts and the energy losses, causing your bill to decline. These rank among the do-it-yourself home insulation strategies worth considering.

1: Address screen doors

Many storm doors come with sliding glass panes and a screen option to allow fresh air to flow into the home. These products appear reasonably secure against drafts with the glass lowered. But that's not necessarily the case.

Storm doors typically are not installed with preventing air leaks in mind. One DIY way to improve them is by applying plastic insulation around the pane-screen system. Homeowners can use the same inexpensive plastic shrink-wrap kits used to cover windows.

2: Add insulation to attics

A home's attic ranks among one of the largest areas for heat loss because the heat from the lower levels rises to the attick. So, your furnace may be triggered early and often. Even if your attic has reasonably sound insulation, consider adding a little extra where heat loss is likely to happen.

3: Permanently winterize windows

The plastic shrink-wrap kits sold in stores are a yearly renewal commitment. However, there is an alternative to performing this task and spending the extra money each winter. If outdated and inefficient windows cause cold air leaks, replacing them may be worth considering. But if the drafts seep through the casing surrounding the window, you may be able to eliminate the cold air inexpensively.

Consider removing the interior lumber surrounding the window without damaging the walls. Once removed, inspect the space inside the wall to see if it has secure insulation. If not, deploy an insulation product best suited to solve the issue. A wide range of reasonably-priced spray foam and loose fiber products can solve the problem.

Although winter chills will bring higher utility bills, homeowners can minimize costs with improved insulation. The root cause of energy waste revolves around cold air leaks. These and other DIY efforts can prevent unnecessary expenses.