Charles Ewing
WGHP Fox-8

HIGH POINT, N.C. — A chilly draft around doors and windows can put you in a deep freeze and send shivers through your wallet.

But a few simple and inexpensive upgrades can make a huge difference in the temperature in home while reducing your heating needs by 10 percent.

Weather stripping and window wraps can help keep cold air from coming in the most obvious places: your windows and doors. Kits are available for as little as $2 per window or door.

Don’t overlook outlets and light switches, which contain openings that also let cold air. Inexpensive covers for those are easy to install.

Cold air also can get in through window air-conditioner units. Those should be removed when not in use.

“A lot of people think about doors and windows and such, but plumbing … that’s something that’s no so obvious,” says Anson Esquivel, who works at Lowe’s Home Improvement in High Point. “You want to consider your pipes in the wintertime. A busted pipe is very expensive and very hard to deal with this time of year.”

Hardware stores sell outdoor faucet covers and all sorts of tape and wraps to insulate pipes and protect them from freezing.

“The economical way to go is to get some foam or rubber pipe wrapping, pull the tape and wrap it around the pipe,” says Esquivel.

The. U.S. Department of Energy says you can reduce your heating needs by 10 percent with these easy steps.