I cut my home heating bill by 40% with a $15 tool and a weekend project

My gas bill in Chicago was over $200 a month last winter, and I felt stuck. I knew drafts were a problem, but I couldn't find them all. A friend told me to get a thermal leak detector, basically a little infrared thermometer gun you can point at walls and windows. I bought one online for about fifteen bucks. Last Saturday, I went room by room and found the worst spots were around my old outlet plates and the basement door frame. I spent maybe another twenty on foam gaskets for the outlets and a new door seal. Plugging those leaks made a huge difference almost right away. The house just feels more solid now, and my last bill was only $122. Has anyone else tried this kind of basic home energy audit themselves? I'm curious what other cheap fixes people have found.

2 comments

2 Comments

jaden6919d ago

dude yes, the thermal detector gun is a total game changer. I did the same thing last fall and was shocked at how cold my sliding glass door track was. Bought some cheap v-seal weather stripping and it felt like a different room. My big win was finding the attic access panel in my closet had zero insulation, it was just leaking heat straight up. A foam board cut to fit cost like ten bucks.

lily36019d ago

Heard a similar story from my neighbor last week. He scanned his place and found a huge cold spot around an old outlet on an outside wall. Turns out the foam box behind the plate was totally crushed and useless. A quick trip to the hardware store and a two dollar fix made a real difference.