Keep the warmth in: Tips to get your home ready for winter

Southeast Missourians have started to dig out their heavy coats and sweaters to stay warm, but what can be done to keep their houses warm this winter?

When the weather cools off, drafts in the home become much more noticeable and costly. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, drafts can waste 5 to 30 percent of the energy a household uses.

"If you want to make your house most efficient, it's important to keep all the heat inside," said Billy Castile, owner and operator of Castile Construction, LLC.

Castile offered a few tips to winterize your home.

Insulate windows

Sealing drafty windows is one way to winterize your home. Installing thick plastic, especially over old or drafty windows, is the easiest way to insulate windows and keep warm air from escaping through cold glass. Measure the plastic so it's slightly larger than the window and tape it to the wall so it covers the glass completely. Tyler Russom, story manager at Buchheit in Jackson, said most hardware stores sell shrink-wrap that can be heated onto the window with a blow-dryer.

"You could spend $40 or $50 to weatherize your home and it would save you a lot of money down the road," Russom said. "There's no way you can stop all the air from coming in, but you can cut down a lot."

Add door sweeps

Weather stripping for doors and windows is another relatively inexpensive purchase that Castile said can add up to savings in the long run.

Local hardware stores and building supply stores offer a large selection of energy saving items. Russom also recommended foam sealer and door sweeps or a draft guard.

A draft guard "slides on a door and makes a big difference," Russom said. "That's where the majority of the air comes in, underneath the door so by sealing those off you can cut down on your energy bill quite a bit."

Get caulking

Making a home winter-ready isn't just about doors and windows. Over time, cracks form in many parts of a house -- window frames, door frames, corners and essentially anywhere two different building materials meet.

"Rule of thumb is that if you have a hole where heat can escape, it needs to be filled," Castile said.

Homeowners can inspect electrical outlets and water lines for gaps that could lead to leaks. A person can prevent smaller leaks with some do-it-yourself caulking, which makes the job easy and affordable.

Insulate pipes

Extremely low temperatures can cause water pipes to freeze and break if a home is not winterized. But Castile said there are ways to protect the home from the expense and inconvenience of frozen pipes.

"If your heating system is going through a spot that is not insulated, you should insulate the duct work," he said. "This makes it much more efficient."

Pipelines that run through an unheated garage or crawl space under the house should be well-insulated before temperatures plummet. Hardware stores and building supply stores have appropriate pipe wrapping materials available. Make sure to measure the pipe width first, so you buy the right size.

Check other insulation

"Whether it's your attic, underpinning or in the walls that are open, if you're doing a renovation, insulation can make a huge difference in energy bills," Castile said. "One important place to check for insulation is the attic, because heat rises and you want to keep all the hot air in."

Letting heat escape, or letting cold air in, robs the home of energy and can cost money.

"The name of the game is don't heat the outside," Castile said.

Tax credits

And according to the Internal Revenue Service, homeowners making energy-saving improvements this fall can cut their winter heating bills and lower their 2010 tax bill. People can now weatherize their homes and be rewarded for their efforts.

For instance, bulk insulation products can qualify for a 30 percent federal tax credit up to $1,500 through year's end, so long as products come with a manufacturer's certification statement.

For more information about the tax credits, rebates or aid available, visit www.energysavers.gov.