As we've noted on The Window Factory blog before, replacing your old windows with double-paned, low-emission vinyl windows from The Window Factory can reduce your heating bills by up to thirty percent by helping to keep the cold air out and trap warm air indoors.

The same holds true in San Diego for keeping your home cool in the summertime by reducing the air conditioning that escapes due to insufficient insulation or old single-pane windows.

Arianne Cohen put up a great post this week on The New York Time's "The Fix" Blog, with some other practical tips for winterizing your home by identifying air leaks, installing weather stripping and other techniques for insulating your living space.

"One good way to locate air leaks inside, is to hold a lighted candle around the frames of windows, doors and electrical outlets, checking to see if the flame quivers. Unused outlets commonly expel cold air and can be plugged with outlet covers, available for a couple of dollars at any home supply store.

Weather-stripping installation kits - which usually come with three strips of metal, vinyl or wood (about $20) - and door sweeps (about $10) can help prevent leaks around doors. Nail or screw the strips into the door frame, and then attach the sweep to the bottom edge of the door.

Old windows can be particularly drafty. One easy fix is to buy an inch-thick strip of foam, sometimes called a draft stopper, that can be cut to size and inserted in the gaps along the sashes (around $10 for a canister). It can also be used along the edges of air-conditioning units installed directly in the wall or permanently in a window.

Another solution is to attach window-insulating shrink-wrap film around the frame with double-sided tape, and then seal it in place with a hairdryer (about $10 for enough to cover a couple of windows). There's one hitch, though: for the duration of winter, your windows will be covered in the film, which many people find unsightly.

Thick curtains can work wonders at blocking drafts, and they look much nicer, but make sure to open them when it's sunny so that the natural light can heat up the space."

Over the course of owning your home, the most cost-effective and energy efficient solution will be to have new windows and doors installed by experts .  And with the tax credits available through 2010, no money down and deferred interest financing, it's only a few clicks of the mouse to make the change. But, if you need a quick fix to beat the winter chill or summer heat, hopefully these tips will come in handy for you.

-JJ