A drafty house can be uncomfortable for everyone inside, causing you to need to cuddle up under a pile of heavy quilts even while your thermostat is set to a seemingly comfortable 73. When heat escapes your home, it doesn’t just lower the temperature indoors, resulting in discomfort for your whole family; it also requires you to turn up the heat, wasting energy and money on your power bills.

Reducing the draft in your space prevents cold air from coming in, and it is key to saving money on your power bills and keeping your family comfortable throughout every season of the year. Before you spend thousands to replace your windows, here are a few simple and easy ways you can stop cold drafts in your home this winter and save money on your heating bill this winter.

Apply Or Reapply Silicone Sealant

Sealants like caulk and silicone sealant are your first line of defense against drafty windows and doors. If your windows frame or doors are dry, cracked, or show other wear and tear, you should update them by being sure to replace the caulking at least once a year. If there are cracks, tears, or other damage to windows and doors that have not already been addressed with caulk, you should be sure to apply a liberal layer to prevent warm air from escaping.

For your caulk to last as long as possible and stand up to varying weather conditions, you should choose a high-quality silicone sealant that can be used outdoors. Silicone sealant can be used in all rooms of your home, thus providing an affordable, effective, and versatile option.

Close Blinds And Lock Windows

Perhaps the simplest and cheapest way to prevent drafts in your home is to close your blinds and lock your windows. Blinds help insulate your home, ensuring that warm air cannot escape and cold air cannot easily get in. Thus, it is important to keep them closed, especially during the night, to eliminate drafts in your home.

Further, unlocked windows, even if they are closed, can leave gaps that allow cold air to enter and hot air to exit. If your house is beginning to feel cold despite the warm air coming out of your vents, you should take a look at all of your windows and ensure that they are not just closed, but locked.

Use Insulating Curtains

During the summer months, it feels nice to let the warm air in and enjoy the sunlight through sheer curtains. While those lightweight curtains allow you to let some light in during the warm months, they aren’t doing you any good once the weather begins to cool off. Using heavier, insulating curtains can help you keep cold air out and warm air in during the winter and autumn. Thermal curtains trap the cold air from outside on one side of the fabric, preventing it from entering your home. They also prevent heat loss by blocking the warm air from escaping the room.

If you keep your blinds closed, windows locked, and use insulating curtains, it is hard to imagine how any cold air could find its way into your home even on the coldest nights of the year.

Add Weatherstripping

Around35% of the heat you lose in your home escapes because of unaddressed gaps in windows and doors. If you want to save money on your power bills, and, you should first seal up any cracks and tears with silicone sealant. If you’re still feeling the chill, though, you might need to take further steps to prevent cold and unpleasant weather from entering your house. After silicone sealant or caulk, your next line of defense is weatherstripping.

Weather stripping is a material used to seal air leaks and keep the weather outside while keeping indoor air in. You can install weatherstripping around windows, doors, and other places all around your home to block drafts. While some insulation projects require the help of a professional, weatherstripping isn’t usually one of them; you should be able to complete this DIY draft stopper project yourself.

Insulate Windows

Insulating your windows using plastic film is an excellent way to prevent heat loss around areas where cold air tends to leak in. The film creates a barrier between the window and the inside of the house, sealing gaps and preventing air leakage.

Applying window insulation film is easy and affordable, this particular window treatment does not require the help of a professional in most cases. You can purchase window insulation kits to create your own insulated windows at any department store or hardware store. Most of them come with double-sided tape for mounting, ensuring that you can easily apply the product at the beginning of the season and remove it when needed.

Cover Fireplaces

Fireplaces are usually a place we associate with warmth, comfort, and relaxation away from the snow and chills outdoors, so it can be frustrating to imagine that our fireplace might actually be a source of the drafts that result in our home feeling far too cold in the winter. Unfortunately, this is the reality of the situation. While fireplaces help keep us warm when lit, they can actually be a source of drafts when they are not in use. Cold air can enter your home through the fireplace and chimney, while hot air can just as easily exit.

There are many ways to stop fireplaces from causing your home to be too chilly. Thankfully, most fireplaces are built with drafts in mind and contain a way to prevent them. First, you should ensure that your fireplace’s damper is closed; if it is open, there is nothing stopping air from moving freely inside and outside of your home.

Next, you should ensure that the glass doors to your fireplace are closed, which will help keep any cold air trapped behind them and thus stop it from entering your home. If you do not already have glass doors installed in your fireplace, this could also contribute to the draft; it might be a good idea to call a professional to install glass doors if you find that your fireplace is a primary source of heat loss in our home. While some fireplaces cannot have glass doors added to them thanks to their design or safety considerations, most modern fireplaces come with them installed or can have them added.

The Best Silicone Sealant For Reducing Drafts

Using 100% silicone sealant to patch up gaps, tears, and leaks in your home is one of the best ways to reduce drafts during the winter months. By ensuring cold air stays out and warm air stays in, you will not only find yourself more comfortable in all the rooms of your home, but your power bills will likely be a lot less expensive as you’ll find yourself turning up the thermostat far less often.

At Silicone Depot, we offer silicone sealant and sealing/caulking accessories for all of your home and for construction projects. As we enter the coldest part of the winter season, it becomes increasingly important to apply silicone sealant to help keep your home warm and your power bills low. Check out our catalog and purchase the perfect silicone sealant for your home repairs today!