Winterizing, or summerizing, a home requires better -- but not total -- sealing

A: To save on fuel costs, reduce the amount of heated air that is escaping and the amount of cold air that is entering your home. (In Florida, these same principles can pertain to "summerizing" a home -- keeping the cool air in and hot air out.) Older homes are said to be drafty because you can feel a draft near the windows and the outside walls. It is good for a home to have several air exchanges per hour to vent stale air to the outside, but what you need is an economical way of controlling the air flow.

Start with windows where a majority of the home's heated air is lost. If you don't have storm windows and you can afford it, have storm windows installed. Better yet, have insulated replacement windows installed, although you will find this a very expensive repair.

The most economical repair is to fasten a 6 mil (millimeter) clear, plastic sheeting over the inside of each window. It looks really bad but works well at preventing air leaks. Exterior doors need storm doors and weather seals. Weather stripping (self-adhesive foam strips) is not that expensive and will seal the cold from older, loose-fitting doors. Add a sweep to the bottom of the door to seal the threshold.

If a sweep cannot be attached, a rolled-up newspaper or towel placed at the base of the door helps keep drafts out.

Add foam gaskets, available at home stores, at exterior wall outlets and switch boxes. If you just remove a few screws, the weather seals can be easily installed under the switch or outlet faceplate.

Exterior caulking is economical and easy to use, and it seals out drafts, rain and insects. The problem with caulking is that repeated applications leave an ugly build-up and removing caulking is difficult and time-consuming. Dap has a new Seal 'N Peel removable caulk that can be peeled away without the use of scrapers or other tools.

A clean furnace fan, clean burners and a clean filter save energy dollars. By operating at peak efficiency, the furnace will use less fuel to heat the home. This will require a service call by a qualified heating contractor, but it is worth the cost.

Add blanket (batt) insulation to accessible attic spaces. If you can't afford to insulate the entire attic at once, purchase what you can and insulate as much as you can at a time.

Expanding foam insulation can be used to seal openings in exterior walls or at cracks and openings between the foundation and the wood floor. A cold basement or crawl space cools the whole house.

If your water heater is in an unheated garage, add an insulated jacket to the outside of the tank. The idea is to seal out cold air with what you can, when you can and with what you have.

Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him with home-improvement questions at C. Dwight Barnett, PO Box 14091, Evansville, IN 47728, or send him e-mail at d.barnett@insightbb.com.