Lower Your Energy Bills By Fitting a Door Draft Protector
Posted by Angie Meza on June 25th, 2009
Scarcely does a day go by without more bad economic news, telling us that energy costs are rising. This put a lot of extra pressure on our monthly operating budget, especially as oil seems to be rising in cost ad infinitum. As these energy costs rise, we can expect higher utility bills, putting additional pressure on us when it comes to heating or cooling our home. Nobody likes to see their valuable air conditioned leaking out, nor do they want to suffer whilst wintry air seeps in. It is important to look for any leaks and protect against them with a door draft protector.
Sometimes, as houses get older they tend to settle and this movement in the foundation can cause gaps to appear between the bottom of doors and the floor. These gaps may be very difficult to see with the human eye, but they are there nonetheless. If there is a gap, air seeping in or out will have a major effect on the cost of your utility bill. This is where a good door draft protector comes in, as it can be fitted to your problem areas to simply solve the problem.
Typically, a door draft blocker, or door draft protector, comes in a 3″ x 42″ size and is designed to fit a 36 inch conventional doorway. However, the protector is very flexible and you can manipulate it to fit any space.
Warm air tends to rise and you should pay attention to areas in your home where this air may escape. If you have a poor seal around your attic door, a lot of this airr could escape this way. Use a door draft protector here and save a lot of your valuable money.
There a number of potential problem areas in your home when it comes to leaks. Don’t just pay attention to the front door and back door, but look at your sliding glass doors as well. As they strive to maintain a thermostatically-controlled temperature, your heating furnace or air conditioning unit has to work overtime, so don’t let any leaks allow your air temperature to be compromised.
There are a couple of different ways to test for a leak around your windows. Don’t forget, that windows can just as easily allow air to seep in or out. For example, just run your hand around the edges of the window and see if you can feel a draft. Alternatively, light a match and place it near the window, and it will burn towards the direction of any draft. Fit a door draft protector whenever you find a problem.
A door draft protector is very durable, will not wear out and is very cost effective. The interior of the product contains ground corn cob, an effective insulator, whilst the exterior is made of a strong polypropylene. When your draft protector gets wet, just set it out in the air to dry, quite simply.
When you are trying to save money on your monthly utility bill, everything helps. Make sure that you conduct a comprehensive review of the home and look for all potential air leaks around windows and doors. Generally you can get a good discount for buying in bulk, so there is no excuse when it comes to treating all problem areas, as you can buy a quantity of door draft protectors to help you out.