by Amy Stamm

It’s starting to be that season when windows get drafty, and you just want to stop the cold air. One way to help seal drafty windows in the winter is to use rope caulking inside all of the window cases and along the cracks of the outside window frame. It is a seasonal measure because you can’t open and close your windows once you do it. Products like Seal and Peel peel off after winter with no residue.

Another way to keep the draft out is to purchase inexpensive kits at any hardware store made up of plastic sheets and double-sided tape. You put the tape around the window, press the plastic in, and use a hair dryer to shrink the plastic so it’s taut and practically invisible.

A more permanent solution that requires some handyman skill is to install Advanced Repair Technology (607-264-9040, advancedrepair.com) Easy-Stop kits to block air and make old windows as airtight as newer models. These kits are much less expensive than purchasing new windows and allow you to maintain the beauty of old wood windows. The quality of the wood in old windows is almost impossible to reach with new windows, and getting rid of their draft can save hundreds of gallons of heating fuel per year.