In this episode, BEMC Energy Insider Justin Pruitt walks you through the process of finding and sealing air leaks around windows, doors and outlets to help you save energy and potentially money.

No matter the season, letting air leak in and out of your home is going to cost you. On the coldest days, precious heated air will escape through drafty windows; while cool air enters your home, forcing your heat system to run longer and harder to keep up.

Likewise, in the summer, drafty windows and doors allow hot air in while cooled air seeps out. To stop this from happening, consider performing a thorough assessment of your home to identify leaky doors and windows and add caulk and weatherstripping as needed.

This is a low cost, simple DIY project that may help reduce your monthly bill. Ready to get started? Follow these steps:

1. Perform a visual inspection of your home to look for gaps around doors and windows.
2. Once you’ve identified the problem areas, clean all areas to be caulked or weatherstripped. Remove old caulk and paint and ensure the area is dry before applying new caulk.
3. For best results, hold the tube at a 45-degree angle to push the caulk into the gap and caulk in one continuous stream, ensuring the caulk sticks to both sides of the crack or seam.
4. Apply a continuous piece of weatherstripping along each side of the door, ensuring that the weatherstripping meets tightly at the corners. If installed correctly, weatherstripping should press tightly between the door and door jamb when you close the door without making it difficult to close.

If you have an older home, this simple DIY project could save you 20 percent on heating and cooling costs each year.