Sometimes your house may not be as secure against the elements as you’re hoping for, especially the cold. If that’s the case you just might have to do some home insulation upgrades to your house. Here are some tips to think about applying for your comfort.

1. Your house probably already has some kind of insulation, but it may not be in all the areas you need it to be. Areas that are often missed are under rugs, on the floor of attics, between internal walls, and on the upper floor of basements.

2. Sometimes you need some extra insulation, or makeshift insular devices, to close off spaces such as the space from an attic door, bilko doors, and basement doors.

3. A lot of cold air can get in through electrical outlets. There are foam inserts that can be added behind outlets that will help keep extraneous air from coming in.

4. Most doors that give you access to the outside can use some extra insulation. Weather stripping is great for that, whether you need to actually put it between the areas where cold air might be coming in or on the inside or outside of the doors to help seal things up. You should think about doing something like that before you think about adding a little more protection with those portable air stoppers. Don’t forget the door to the garage and any pet doors.

5. You definitely need to check all of your windows for leakage. If you have storm windows, those will offer some kind of help, but it’s best to buy double paned windows to help keep the air out. Add extra caulking along the inside of the windows if you feel it’s needed, but don’t forget about caulking the outside of the windows if you can get to them.

6. If you have areas of the house that you can divide off, one thing you can think about is putting up curtains of some kind to keep heat in one area, while closing vents in other areas that you might not need as much. For instance, if you’re staying in one half of your house, you could put up a small curtain and only warm that one area while allowing your living room and kitchen to stay a little colder. A small space heater might be all you need to stay warm in this instance.

7. There are vents today that will automatically close if no air is blowing into the house. That keeps hot or cold air in, and the opposite out. It doesn’t cost a lot of money to install them, and it may be just what you need because, when air isn’t blowing through these vents, cold or hot air could be coming in.

8. One final place air could be getting into your house is around the air hose of your dryer, if you have a dryer in the house. You need to make sure it’s sealed properly, and if it’s windy you might want to install a cover to put over the hole, if you can access it easily enough, so that you can open it when you’re using it and close it back once you’re done.

These are some easy home insulation upgrades that should make your home more comfortable.