At Home with Lisa: Drafty air leaks impact home comfort year-round

I am finding new air leaks in my house every day. My old house was built in 1910. It has so many air leaks it almost whistles in a strong wind.

Most recently, I kept feeling a warm breeze when I was walking by the same spot in my living room. After a little investigation, I noticed there was an outlet there on an outside wall.

I went to Avista’s website, and I found an easy fix for this. I need a gasket or foam insulator to place inside the outlet. I can do the same for any light switches that are on outside walls.

These insulators are inexpensive, and you can find them online or at your local hardware store. All you need to install them is a standard screwdriver.

To get started, I watched this video on Avista’s website.

To install these insulators, turn off the power to the outlet on your circuit breaker. You never want to take off the plate of an outlet without shutting off the power. Then, unscrew the front plate. Press the outlet insulator inside. Then, close everything up and turn the power back on.

Now, when I walk by that spot in my living room, I don’t feel the warm breeze anymore. It was so easy to do and will help make a difference in keeping my home cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

There are a lot of do-it-yourself videos on Avista’s website. I find a lot of good advice and inspiration from these videos. Check them out and see what easy projects you can do to make your home more energy efficient.

Lisa, an Avista customer, bought her 1910 house because she loved the old-world character, some of which doesn’t make her house very energy efficient. Lisa is sharing her experience on taking some simple do-it-yourself improvements to inspire others to do the same. You’ll find her stories right here every Tuesday morning.