Fall is in the air and with it the need to weatherize your home. Cold winds will be coming with winter and drafts will be felt that freeze your feet and prompt you to break out the wool socks.

But that doesn’t have to happen. With a little bit of effort, you can weatherize your home and make it more livable during the harsh time of winter. And not only that, you can also save money on your energy bills.

Caulking and weather stripping any gaps you find in your home’s thermal envelope can be relatively inexpensive ways to stop those drafts. Certainly, this isn’t going to be a replacement for adequate insulation in your home, but it can help.

One thing to keep in mind before you apply caulk or weather stripping is that the air inside your home may contain dust, mold, carbon dioxide, and other things that degrade the quality of the air. Having an assessment done of the air quality inside is a good idea before you seal out the cold air outside.

Once you’ve done this, check your home for air leaks. Examine places where two different building materials come together. There often are gaps that caulk can fill. Around door and window frames are the most common leakage sites. You can find more leaks if you choose a day that is really windy and turn off your furnace. Close your doors and windows, then turn on every fan that blows air outside. Burn something that produces smoke (a small something!) and watch to see where the smoke goes. Mark those places where it seems to be drawn out of the room for later filling with caulk.

Use weather stripping material around windows and doors. Keep in mind there will be a lot of wear and tear on this material in some places, so plan to use a durable type there.

When using caulk or weather stripping to weatherize your home, be sure the surfaces are clean and dry. With caulk, take out any old caulk and start over. Hold the gun with the caulk at about a forty-five degree angle to get the material deep into the space. Use plenty, but clean up any excess.

Weatherize your home using these inexpensive materials, but be sure it has sufficient insulation to keep you warm during winter’s wrath. If it does not, then contact Weathertight Spray Foam in Gilford, NH, is one of the best in the area. Contact them at 603-343-3266 to schedule an appointment to discuss their services. They can help you decide not only whether you have sufficient attic insulation, but also the best kind to put in.