Leaky house can cost you a bundle

Leaky house can cost you a bundle

Tools

By Herb Weisbaum

A leaky house costs you money. When warm air goes out, cold air comes in and your heating bill goes up.

"People underestimate how much air escapes just through cracks throughout the house," says Celia Kupershmid Lehrman, deputy home editor at Consumer Reports.

"Attics in particular are filled with holes form recess lightning, wiring, chimney chases. You're also going to have gaps around plumbing pipes, around window dorms and frames."

Don't forget electrical outlets and switches. You can get foam gaskets that go behind them. That's especially important to do on exterior walls.

Something that's often overlooked are air ducts that run through crawl spaces. Seal the leaks, add insulation if needed and you can really save a bundle.

"It's not that expensive to do," Kupershmid Lehrman says. "It's a few hundred dollars to get your ductwork insulated and it will make you more comfortable and you will also see that money back pretty quickly."

For more information

Consumer Reports: Save on Heating and Cooling
Icon
Current Temp 35.0 °F
Partly Cloudy
More Weather

Upload directly from your mobile device.

Learn how

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

On Demand

Resources and info you need to prepare for the switch to DTV.

Stay Connected

Viewer Poll

What should Oprah do after her show ends Sept. 9, 2011?
Read more and join the discussion

  • Start a primetime talk show
  • Go into politics
  • Focus on the Web and her magazine
  • More philanthropic work in Africa
  • Whatever she wants; the world's her oyster!