Seal Up Places Where Air Leaks

Here are some ways to stop energy leaks, from quick fixes to whole-house weatherization:

• Place “draft snakes” under your doors
• Caulk cracks, particularly around windows and doors, where conditioned air can leak out
• Install thin plastic sheeting over leaky windows

Insulating and upgrading the envelope of your home is an important and cost-effective place to start conserving energy. By making your whole house more efficient at once, you can ensure that later improvements, such as upgrading heating and cooling systems, are only as powerful as they need to be.

Energy Audit and whole-house weatherization programs:

• Columbia Water and Light
• Laclede Gas
• City Utilities of Springfield
• Empire District Electric
• Intercounty Electric Cooperative
• Kansas City Power and Light
• Missouri Gas Energy
• Statewide: energy efficient farmstead retrofit program
• Statewide: income tax deduction for audits and weatherization
• Federal tax credits for insulation and other weatherization equipment

If the upfront cost of additional insulation and other weatherization improvements seems daunting, don’t worry. There are several ways that home and business owners can finance the cost of efficiency improvements using low- or no-interest loans:

• Columbia Water and Light
• Laclede Gas– insulation financing
• Energy-efficient mortgages: finance the cost of adding energy-efficiency measures by adding them to an FHA-insured mortgage or refinancing. A list of lenders in Missouri can be found here.

Low-income residents may qualify for free efficiency improvements to help lower energy bills. Check individual programs here for eligibility guidelines.