Home Energy Efficiency

Concerned about your home’s energy efficiency? These few inexpensive steps can make a difference.

• Add a door sweep, which is a strip of plastic or wood with a flexible insert at one edge. They are designed to stop air leaks at the bottom of exterior doors and usually run around $4.

• Seal gaps around the outside of doors or windows that allow heat to escape with caulk. A caulking gun and tube of acrylic-latex caulk, which works well for all around caulking, together runs between $5 and $20 to do the job.

• Check your furnace filter monthly and replace or clean if needed. Replaceable filters can cost as little as $1, washable reusable filters about $20. Generally more expensive filters are more effective at removing tiny particles from the air.