Okay, I went to Wal-Mart the other day all ready to "winterize" my home. I live in TX and we don't have as cold of winters as some of you....but to me it is still cold! Anyway, WM had the window plastic covers, door sealers, sealers for outlets/light switches, etc. These things were HIGH! The window covers were like $3 for small windows & @$6 for large windows/patio doors. My house is all double windows. The electrical outlet sealers were @2.50/6 switches/6outlets. Doing all of these will get high. Does it actually save enough money to cover the costs?

What do you think?

Well it all depends on if your windows have a draft coming through - if there is a draft I would recommend sealing around them. The electric outlet covers are great for the outlets that face the wind especially! Try and take an assessment of your house and if there are any drafts, leaks, etc. Than you'll have a better idea of what needs some attention before the cold sets in.

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The outlet insulators can last forever, so they are probably worth it. If you have good windows and you live in Texas, the window film may not be worth it. It is for us, in MN with our very old windows.

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~Happiness is a large family~

ITA with Happymom- I live in Western Pa and it is worth it for us. Any cold draft in the house will make it seem so much colder in your home- any way you can stop it is well worth it (especially when you don't have to turn the thermostat up to compensate the cold drafty air!). We actually have storm windows to put in our windows and then I cover it with plastic- and I am thinking that if Santa brings me a sewing machine I will be also making window quilts!

I think you can take the price of your items to make your home more energy efficent off your taxes also!

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A lot depends on the age of your house. Door seals are good for an older door that doesn't have any and you'll save heating costs in the winter plus A/C costs in the summer. Of course, if you can afford to upgrade your door to one that is insulated and already has weather-stripping in place, that would be a better option. If your doors are newer and already have weather-stripping and insulation, then adding more probably won't help.

The insulation pads for light switches and outlets on exterior walls are a good idea, if your house needs them. Touch the switch plate. If they feel colder than the wall or you can feel a draft, adding insulation is probably a good idea. Of course, if your walls aren't insulatied, the switch insulation won't do much.

I've never been a fan of the plastic on the windows. The film always seems too thin to be much use, but that's my opinion. Instead, I prefer to invest in storm windows and insulating drapes or shades.

If you're in TX, you probably have a lot of thermal mass that is keeping the cold - tile, brick, etc. A brick fireplace - one that is continuous from the outside to the inside of the house (not just a fake brick facade inside the room) can radiate an awful lot of cold air. An expansive tile floor can be cold for most of the winter. The goal is to warm up those surfaces. That's why I turn the furnace on an keep it on while I'm trying to warm up the house. Once the house is warmed, put down a bunch of area rugs on the hard floors. Sometimes it is worthwhile to minimally use the fireplace just to keep the surrounding brick warm. You just don't want to use it so much that you're drawing warm out up the chimney.

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"I've been rich and I've been poor but independently wealthy is where it is at."

I agree! For us in the wind belt of southern MN with a 90yr drafty old farm house, and lows regularly around 0* all winter the money spent now is well worth it. If you have good windows and warmer tempatures you may not get a good return.

I agree with Cookie that the plastic is thin, so it doesn't really help with the warmth necessarily, however for us it is more of a breeze barrier. When you don't have the money to invest in new windows, or new storms, or new drapes ~ it is a cheaper alternative, and it does help with keeping our heat costs down.

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Just what I was going to say.. We have extreamly drafty windows.. but the window plastic does the trick in regards to letting all the wind into the house. At first I thought they were not doing anything, and then we had a wind storm. I was able to watch the plastic flex with the wind.. so then I got curious & brought a candle over by the window.. the flame didn't flicker one bit during all that wind.

I haven't had the chance to buy them again to put up this year.. so I just retried the candle test (we are having another windstorm right now). The flame is fine.. but when we get a major gust of wind, it flickers like crazy.

Go figure!

I have to agree age of home and area are key. I know that I have big things to get my home winterized so I am going to save my money to afford the big fixes (new windows and insulating my walls)

Check out what incentives your utilities have mine paid up big time in Around $1200 so we have adequet insulation in our attic and crawl space

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Kimberly Proud Mommy to Bethany Rose April 2006

I'm not sure if it's worth it. I'm in the southwest too- and while I we had this huge hard freeze last year-that was a total fluke and rarely happens.

as for the window plastic- don't you ever open your windows in TX in the winter?? we do here - some days it's in the 70's, and I'm baking or cooking bacon or something, and I need fresh air- and often if I open the west windows, it will get quite warm on that end of the house. I wouldn't like the plastic- I like fresh air too much. especially after having the house all closed up all summer due to the A/C.

Anyway, I guess do the math- how much would it cost to TEMPORARILY winterize your house- that is, the things that will only last one season- the plastic, ect. Say it's going to cost 200.00- why not then run your heater more then? same price.

I thought about this when I saw electric heating pads for sale at Target. they were 79.00 for queen, and 59.00 for twin- I thought about how much it would cost to buy them- then I figured, I could turn the heat up at night a few degrees and spend ALOT less than buying 3 of those. I think it would take many years of running my heater at night to compensate for the savings on running an electric matress pad nd not runnng the heater.

However, if some of the things you are going to do- will benefit in the summer as well- Keeping the house cool- you should go for it. weather stripping, insulation, thermal drapes and shades, all of those things will help for warmth in the summer and cool in the winter.