Increasing your home's energy efficiency can be difficult when you do not own the residence, or cannot make major changes. There are improvements that you can make easily and affordably.
Depending on the quality and quantity of the insulation in your walls, there may be unconditioned air escaping from the attic into your home through the outlets in your wall. In fact, during the winter, you may feel a draft if you put your hand to the outlet. This can be quickly fixed by installing a foam insulation gasket.
Available from your local hardware store for just a few dollars, this piece of foam fits behind the outlet cover, and reduces the amount of air escaping into your room.
Step 1: Measure your outlets and write down how many you would like to insulate. Purchase foam gaskets that are a similar size and shape at your local hardware store.
Step 2: Turn off the power to this outlet at your home’s breaker box.
Step 3: Unscrew the outlet cover, and remove it.
Step 4: Punch out the holes in the gasket to make the outlets fit through it. You can also trim it with scissors if needed.
Step 5: Place the gasket over the outlet hole, and make sure it is not touching any wires. If you see any exposed copper wiring, call an electrician immediately.
Step 6: Place the outlet cover over the outlet and screw it in. Now you've finished improving your home in just a few minutes!
