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Money Saving Mondays: How To Keep More Heat In Your Home

Consumer Champ Advises Foam Tapes For Tighter Seals

POSTED: 5:24 pm MST October 31, 2005
UPDATED: 5:43 pm MST October 31, 2005

Want to save your cool cash while keeping your house warm? Consumer Champ Bill Clarke has already discussed wrapping your water heater, packing the basement pipes and programming the thermostat.

The next thing you'll want to do is look for leaks, he said. Use a tissue to look for slight movement where cold air can sneak into your home. Hold it in front of your door jams, windows and fireplaces and you might find a light breeze and a leak.

"When it comes to foam tape, you can never have enough," said Lindsey Chapman, with Home Depot.

The foam tape doesn't cost much but it does a lot and it's easy to install. Just cut a length of the foam tape to fit the inside width of the window or door and then peel off the stick tape.

"You want to press firmly to make sure it sticks," Chapman said. "You'll get a tighter seal so the air doesn't come in."

A good seal on doors and windows can cut heating costs by 15 percent.

Another idea: plastic film. Any room with big windows loses heat on a cold winter day. You can't put foam tape on the windows but you can add a layer of plastic film to cut your losses.

And how about something to boost the heat flow? You may consider getting a register booster and placing it over the register, said Chapman.

So what are the cold facts on our home heating project?

With the water heater blanket, pipe insulation in the basement, programmed thermostat, the foam, the film and the register booster, the whole job to help keep heat in your home costs just under $200.

Want some motivation? Just wait until you get the first home heating bill once old man winter arrives.


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