Letting cold air creep into your home or apartment from the wintery outdoors, or hot air billow in during the summer, can cost you hundreds of dollars each season in energy bills. Did you know that as much as 15% of your heating and cooling energy escapes from a home that is not tight?

What simple things can you do?

• Find where the air is coming into your home. Hold a tissue or a lighted stick of incense near exterior door, windows or electrical outlets. If the tissue or smoke flutters, there's a draft and an air leak.

• Use weatherstripping tape or felt to seal around doors or windows (available at hardware or home repair stores).

• Put plastic over windows that are not insulated windows. One easy way is to buy inexpensive kits that have clear, heavy plastic and a ziplock type seal, so they can be reused from year to year.

• Put foam covers in electrical outlets and switch plates (available at hardware or home repair stores).

• Caulk larger gaps around doors and windows. A helpful chart about various caulks can be found at pueblo.gsa.gov/civ_text/housing/weather/weather

• Add rugs.

• Re-glaze windows that have broken putty holding the glass.

• Use door snakes to block drafts around door thresholds.