Carol Prose

Handy Hints

It's just about time to turn on the air conditioner again. Did you know approximately one-third of a home's energy is lost through its doors and windows and this is when they are closed? You can save money and energy by simply insulating and checking your weather-stripping.

To check for leaks in a door, open it and place a piece of paper in the doorjamb. Close the door and try to pull the paper out. If it comes out easily, there is an air leak. Try the same thing on your windows.

If you need to purchase new weather-stripping, get one that's easy to install and comes with a warranty. To insulate an exterior door, apply weather-stripping to the door-jamb and to the top and bottom of the door frame.

For a double-hung window, cut the weather-stripping to size and peel off the backing.
Apply the weather-stripping in the channel, which is the groove in the window frame on the bottom of the sash on the lower window and in the channel on top of the sash on the upper window. Then apply the weather-stripping into the middle channel of the vertical jambs on both sides of the window.

Now you will keep all that cool air inside your house and the hot air outside!