Reducing Heating / Cooling Bills with Window Sealing

A quick walk around many Texas homes will reveal lots of window and door seals that need replacing. I found that the worst seals on our house were the front of house ground level windows. All of the caulking / sealant was cracked and large gaps were evident.

Our Poorly Sealed Window!

The amount of cracking and gapping was quite a shock and clearly this window wasn’t providing an efficient barrier for maintaining a steady temperature inside the house. These small gaps can make a huge difference in Texas when the outside temperature is 100 F+ and we are trying to keep the inside temp around 73 F…

So I went down to my local hardware store and bought several tubes of all weather caulk / sealant.

I chose fairly cheap tube of “Alex Ultra 230″ which carries a 50 year guarantee!

To seal the entire window frame used approx half a tube but I think I laid the sealant on a little thick, I think I will use a smaller end cut on the tube for the next window to give a finer bead of caulk.

The entire process only took about 10 mins for one window, which included using a plastic scraper to smooth over the caulk beading and ensure a weather tight seal.

The Sealed Window Finished

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and see if you can improve your window and door seals, once you’re finished you can sit back and enjoy lower heating and cooling bills, especially if you live in Texas!