Winter comes suddenly after fall, and sometimes during fall depending on where you live, this is the perfect time to decide on weather stripping for your home, and get started on battening down the hatches.
Drafts are a peculiar thing because cold air is the culprit, it comes upon you suddenly and escapes before you can notice the point of entry. One suggestion for finding gaps is to hold up a match to edges or areas that are suspicious. If the wind gets through the match will blow out.
Areas to look for gaps are the attic, the plumbing, windows, doors, floors and ceilings, even the cabinets. A basement ceiling with a gap could send cool air right up through the next floor. Look around areas where there is framing. Locate doors and windows that could be sealed off for the whole winter. If the door has a screen door as well, its a good idea to fill that space up with insulation, or even a blanket makes a good insulator. Edges of windows and doors should be caulked or taped. Don't forget to clean the frame! Wiping down the area to get taped or caulked will maximize the effectiveness.
There are eco-friendly caulking companies like AFMSafeCoat. Some people sew fabric in tubes and fill them with sand, these are placed at doorways and are easily put back in place after someone has opened the door. Plastic covering is popular for windows because it doesn't obstruct the view. Plastic should be installed on the inside because the seal can peel out and the plastic can tear in bad weather. Window film is popular too, but it only covers the glass. These options involve plastic which isn't so eco-friendly, if you don't make a mess of things though, you can reuse it every year.
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Weather Proofing
I use these practices in my home in Las Cruces, New Mexico and they work. When you build your home you the positioning of it for the seasons can really minimize the use of your heater or cooler. Great article!
Weather-proofing is great if your windows are energy-efficient.
If you have old and drafty windows or door, no matter how much you caulk around them, the effects will be minimal. Old windows usually have loose glass. Especially if there are wooden grids - these are usually very old doors and windows - 40+ years, and cold air will get inside through every little gap. Putting up plastic film on the inside of such window will be much more efficient. However you can't put plastic film on a door.
I can go on and on about this topic, but it is my firm belief that the best way to go about it is to put new windows in - even vinyl ones. Yes, they are not that green, but to me, they are SO much greener that wasting all that energy with old windows and doors. If you want to be "hard core", there are liquid-filled thermal mass windows which collect and store solar heat during the day, and transfer that heat inside the house at night. They are also known as "trombe wall" and were used in Boston Solar Home - a 2009 Solar Decathlon project built by Tufts University, Boston Architecture College ad many volunteers. Of course this was a super green home, with solar pv and solar thermal hot water, but in my opinion the solar thermal mass window the most innovative part of this solar home.
In any case, even though the solar thermal mass windows are not yet commercially available, the regular high efficiency doors and windows are. So instead of weather-proofing them each year, and wasting heat and energy, it is better install new windows (doors). Especially with the $1500 rebate for energy-efficient home improvement projects.
Here in Florida we don't
Here in Florida we don't need to worry as much about weatherproofing in the winter but bugs and insects are a year round problem. Thanks for the tip on eco-friendly caulking.