Comments on Boston Gal's Open Wallet: Time to plug the little holes

We've been doing a lot of weatherizing to our apar...

2009-11-18T15:53:52.546-05:00

We've been doing a lot of weatherizing to our apartment, but for some reason we've only been adding the gaskets to the outlets as we paint. We should really go around and add them to all the exterior walls. Thanks for the reminder!

Lucky for me, the prior owner of my home took care...

2009-11-17T18:27:12.225-05:00

Lucky for me, the prior owner of my home took care of most of the major leak areas (storms on each window, storm doors, weather stripping on exterior doors, etc). So I am getting down to fixing the small leaks.

Obviously just putting in outlet gaskets in a wall that is otherwise uninsulated or otherwise leaking air is not going to be very helpful.

But if the major leaks in your home have been dealt with - don't ignore these smaller leak areas.

I did this several years ago with no measurable re...

2009-11-17T17:48:02.883-05:00

I did this several years ago with no measurable reduction in utility usage or noticeable improvement in room temperature or draftiness.

However, this year I recaulked every door and window in the house. I patched all the cracks in the stucco and I blocked off the vents on the cold and windy north wall of the garage (leaving the others open for proper ventilation). I also replaced most of the weatherstripping around the doors. I haven't got the first winter utility bill, but I have noticed a big reduction in the number of times the furnace runs and in the cold drafts in the house. This house is only 20 years old and was built with relatively modern energy efficient features including insulation and double pane windows, so caulking, weatherstripping, and other minor maintenance could make a difference in a lot of houses.

Thanks for reminding me BG. I was looking for the...

2009-11-16T08:39:16.887-05:00

Thanks for reminding me BG. I was looking for these a couple of months ago at my big box hardware store but could not find them. When I asked in the electric aisle they lead me to regular switch plate covers. When I asked in the insulation aisle they just sent me back to the electric aisle. I finally gave up.

Perhaps it is only stocked seasonally? Since these are cheap and I need enough to get free ship from Amazon I think I will just order them online. But if others are thinking of going to the store to pick these up, do yourself a favor and call ahead to make sure they have them.

As Boston Gal points out, the cost savings will va...

2009-11-16T08:33:50.508-05:00

As Boston Gal points out, the cost savings will vary between households. If your home is located in a climate that requires more heating or cooling than a home in a more temperate climate - then that home will see a greater savings from a project such as this.

But given the ease of the project and the cost involved - I would say anyone who pays utility bills related to heating or cooling (renter or homeowner) should think about doing this.

They do make a difference. On a cold and windy day...

2009-11-16T07:20:27.097-05:00

They do make a difference. On a cold and windy day, place your hand near one and there are breezes.

One more place to seal is the incoming conduit to your electrical panel. You'll need to take off the cover and stick putty in the conduit, around the cables. Becareful to only touch the insulation part of the cables of course. When we finished out our basement, there was a very cold draft pouring in all the time.

When my floors and attic were losing heat all wint...

2009-11-16T00:34:06.388-05:00

When my floors and attic were losing heat all winter, I would've never believed that caulking and sealing outlets would matter. But as soon as you plug the big leaks you'll start noticing the small ones far more. It is -cold- between the walls of the house!

Hi Erica, Unfortunately the answer to your questi...

2009-11-15T23:03:32.986-05:00

Hi Erica,

Unfortunately the answer to your question is - it very much depends.

But assume each outlet and wall switch allows a small amount of air to leak. Add all of your outlets and switches on your exterior walls and take a look at the number. If you have just a few, assume the leak is equal to having a window cracked open all year long. The larger the amount of switches/outlets the larger the opening gap.

Obviously, the more gaps you can plug the greater the savings. But lets go back to assuming you have just a few leaky outlets - so equal to one window not fully closed in your home. Would you fail to fully close and lock a window in your home simply because you can't quantify how much energy/money the action would save?

Granted, closing a window does not generally require you to spend money - while investing in these gaskets and covers does - but the cost is minimal (again, varies depending on how many outlets, etc you have in your home) but once the project is complete you don't have to think about it again.

Not sure if this helps clarify or not. But I equate this project to switching out your lightbulbs for CFLs. A little bit of time and money spent now creates ongoing savings into the future.

How much energy do you expect to save with this? T...

2009-11-15T22:39:01.519-05:00

How much energy do you expect to save with this? They don't seem to have any quantifiable measurements listed on the Amazon page.