Insights > Your home: Sealing in savings and comfort

Your home: Sealing in savings and comfort
By: Corporate Editorial Team

10/05/2022

Are your energy bills higher than usual? Are there areas in your home that are too hot or too cold, no matter the thermostat setting? If the answer is yes, it could be conditioned air escaping through gaps in your home. Sealing those gaps is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to save your energy dollars and increase comfort.

Finding leaks

Start by locating where air leaks are occurring. Where do you look? It could be any place where two materials meet, such as the foundation walls and the flooring, or where there's an opening to the outdoors. Particular areas of concern include:

Gaps around exterior doors and cracked caulking around window frames
In the basement — holes around where plumbing, wiring or ductwork penetrate exterior walls
In the attic — gaps around ceiling fans, recessed light fixtures and electrical outlets

Fixing leaks

Once you've found the leaks, sealing them is a simple project you can do yourself with supplies available from your local DIY retailer.

Windows

Seal windows with exterior caulk. Your best bet is silicone or siliconized caulk.

Where the window meets the frame, scrape out any existing caulk and make sure the area is clean and dry.
Cut the tips of the caulk at a 45-degree angle and load it into the caulking gun.
Run the tips slowly and evenly along the base of the crack.
Finish by running a wet fingertip along the bead of the caulk to smooth it out.

Doors

Fix gaps around exterior doors with weatherstripping and a door sweep.

Measure the top and sides of the door and cut pieces of weatherstripping to fit each.
Peel back the covering from the adhesive and press the weatherstripping to the inside of the doorstop, ensuring a snug fit.
Cut the sweep (if needed) to match the width of the door and attach it with adhesive or screws.

Attic

Locate all ceiling fans, recessed lighting fixtures and electrical outlets in the ceiling below your attic. Each of these is a potential source of air leakage. From the attic, pull back the insulation to find the cutouts and seal them with caulk or expandable foam. Check for and seal gaps around plumbing vents, furnace flues and ductwork. Also, seal the attic door or access with weatherstripping.

Learn more about our energy efficiency incentives, rebates and products.