During the winter months most people’s top priority is staying warm. But, this does come with a price – specifically, the price of your power bill each month.

There is always room for improving the energy efficiency of your home, and keeping your power bill low in the winter is no exception.

There are many different ways that people use to keep warm during the winter months. Some homes, if there are not small children or elderly people, keep the temperature on the thermostat very low and simply wear more layers when they are inside.

Other homes have a fireplace in several rooms of the home, and burn firewood to keep warm. Still other use a zone heating approach by utilizing electric space heaters.

Regardless of the method that you use to keep your home warm, it is important to protect the heat from escaping your home. This typically happens through small spaces around the windows and doors of your home. But, a major area where hot air can escape from your home – that most people don’t consider – is the garage door.

Luckily, there are some things that you can do to reduce the amount of cold air that makes it into your garage from the outside:

• The easiest and least expensive way to eliminate cold air from getting into your home is to add weather stripping around your garage door. If you garage door is older, the weather stripping could be dried, cracked, and even have pieces missing. Look at your garage door during the day time when it is closed. If you see light coming through at the bottom or on the sides, this is a good indication that you need to replace the weather stripping.
• If you are in the market for a new garage door, consider installing an energy efficient garage door that is insulated. These garage doors keep your garage cool in the summer and warm in the winter by anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees respectively. This can have a dramatic impact on your power bill.
• If your weather stripping is in good shape and you don’t need a new garage door, but you want even more protection, you can purchase a garage door insulating kit. These kits are a good alternative to purchasing a brand new garage door and will improve the overall temperature of your garage.

If you think about it, the garage door is like a big window on the side of your home. And, when it is open, cold air from outside will come inside the garage. From there, it doesn’t take much for that cold air to make it inside your home and affect the overall warmth.