Save Energy at Home; Stop Drafts at Switches and Outlets

Seal up drafty switches and outlets on outside walls.

Believe it or not, your switches and outlets; especially those on outside walls; can be sources of drafty infiltration to your home. Of course, such infiltration adds cost to your energy bill. You can eliminate that cost quite easily and inexpensively.

Things You'll Need:
• Foam switch insulation to fit switches on outside walls
• Foam outlet insulation to fit outlets on outside walls.
• Screwdriver; usually slotted, but might need Phillips.
• Scissors or razor-knife

Assessment:
Count all switches and outlets along the outside walls of your home. Make a note of quantity, size and style; including whether switches are single, double or triple switches; and whether outlets are duplex (2) or quadplex (4) outlets; GFCI outlets are typically rectangular, unlike standard outlets; and any other unique features you may encounter.

Fabricate your own foam insulators:
If you have any leftover thin polystyrene foam packaging, you can make your own foam switch and outlet insulators. It is best to use no thicker than one-eighth inch thick foam, to prevent installation difficulty.

Simply remove the switch or outlet cover; trace the cover shape, size and hole layout onto a piece of the foam; cut out with scissors or razor-knife. You can simply pierce through the hole locations with a pencil point.

Purchase foam insulators:
Most home-centers and hardware stores sell switch and outlet insulators; often in kit form, which might include several of each standard switch or outlet configurations.

If you have any specialty switches or outlets; such as a switch and outlet together in the same box, you might have to get creative with what is provided as stock items. You might need to use part of a switch insulator and part of an outlet insulator to create a fit.

Trim them as needed, then tape the pieces together with a strip of electrical tape. Once it is installed, it will do the job.