" Weather stripping your entry doors and windows is one of the easiest ways to keep draft out of your home. Here are some tips for a draft-free home. You locate drafts by running your hand around the edges of doors and windows and feeling for cold or hot air coming in this works particularly well on windy days. You can also look for gaps where drafts slip in, contact areas where doors or windows meet jams or sills can be filled with weather stripping to improve your home's energy efficiency. Get started by measuring the width and length of the space you want to fill. Weather stripping is available in a variety of widths sizes shapes and designs for variety of applications. Peel-and-stick kinds of weather stripping require a relatively warm day of 50 degrees or above to"

" press it along the edge of the door casing. Go all the way around the door for complete seal. The door will close on the foam strip filling the gap providing an airtight seal. These types of weather-stripping materials worked just as well on windows as they do on doors. Just press a strip of foam insulation under the windows, and it will form a tight barrier when the window is closed. Often the greatest draft flow is between the bottom of your doors and the threshold. There are adjustable threshold weather strips with rubber or brush sweeps. The can be screwed into the bottom of the door to seal out drafts. Using a hacksaw cut the threshold sweep to the width of your door. Line up the strips, so it rests on the threshold of your doorstep. Then, using a pencil, mark the locations of the slotted mounting holes on the strip. Drill small pilot holes for the mounting screws and screw the threshold sweep into place. Lastly, for quick nonpermanent solutions there are temporary weather seals that can be used during the winter and removed in the spring. These nonstick materials can be molded into shape and pressed into cracks around windows and doors that you don't intend to open during the winner. There are also aerosol cans of clear weather-stripping sealer that can be used to seal drafty cracks. Unlike ordinary caulking, these sealers can be pulled off when the seal is no longer needed. Surprisingly, switch plates and electrical outlets are often sources of drafts. There are special insulation kits for electrical outlets and switches. To install, first, turn off the power at the breaker box. Using a voltage tester, make sure that the electrical supply has been turned off. Unscrew the electrical cover plate by removing the screw holding the plate in place. Select an insulation pad for an outlet. Press out the inserts and press it over the electrical outlet. Replace the cover plate and the drafts are gone. The process is exactly the same for a wall plate. You remove the cover plate only after turning off the power at the circuit breaker. Never work with a live circuit. Even after you've turned off the breaker, test the switch to make sure no voltage is present. Press out the insert on the wall-switch insulation pad and press it into place over the wall switch. Replace the cover and tighten the screws. Turn the power back on and the project is complete."