Weatherizing your house can help save money on your heating and cooling bills. According to the Department of Energy (DOE), weatherizing your home and improving energy efficiency can reduce heating costs by about 32 percent and overall energy costs by $350 per year. To determine if you have cold air entering your home in the winter or cool air escaping in the summer, hold a thin piece of tissue or a smoky incense stick around your windows, doors, walls, floors, ceiling, and plumbing fixtures. You will notice a flutter in the tissue or smoke if you have air coming in.

To reduce high-energy costs due to air leaks, you can:

 Plug up cracks in walls or doors with caulking

--          Put weather-stripping on windows and doors

--          Blow in insulation in the attic or walls, or staple insulation strips in those areas

--          Install storm windows to reduce cold air coming through thin glass panes

--          Replace cracked electrical outlet plates with new ones

--          Install shrink-wrap plastic sheeting over drafts around windows or walls

To prevent warm air from escaping in cold months, cover your clothes dryer vent with a movable flap that closes when not in use and close the flue damper on your fireplace when not in use. To save on heating bills, install a programmable thermostat to turn the heat setting down while you are at work or school, and while you sleep.

To reduce cooling costs in warmer climates, set air conditioners to a higher temperature when possible. Use window or ceiling fans to circulate air instead of using air conditioners that draw a lot of power. Keep furnaces, oil drums, radiators, and air conditioning units maintained properly, per the owner’s manual. Clean furnaces on an annual basis, vacuum air ducts and vents every few months, and replace air conditioner and furnace filters regularly.

Weatherizing may cost some upfront money, but you can save more in heating bills over many years and add value to your home. When you are ready to implement these changes, get advice at a hardware store for do-it-yourself projects or look in the telephone book or online for a professional home improvement expert. Check with your state, local community, and the federal government’s stimulus program at the Web site of the Department of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. In addition, get tips on weatherizing your home at the Building Environmental Science & Technology Web site.