It doesn’t matter what area of the country you’re in. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to keep your house warm or cool. Heating and electricity costs are always going up, and it’s probably idea to contain the heat or air conditioning inside your house as opposed to sharing it with your neighborhood. Keeping your garage door properly sealed will definitely make a difference in stabilizing your heating and cooling costs, and minimize the likelihood of unwanted critters sneaking and making themselves at home, especially if they have no intention of contributing toward the rent.
You’ll want to inspect the areas around your garage doors in the up position to locate possible places for holes or areas that have started to deteriorate. Are any cracks or any separations? If so, you’ll want to address those areas.
When you close the door, do you see any areas where light is coming through or where you feel a draft? If so, it’s time to take action and invest in some weather stripping that will seal up those areas.
Before doing anything, make sure that you thoroughly understand how to seal those areas, and definitely make sure that you use a ladder for those hard to reach places. If you’re not sure that you can do a thorough job in sealing up those areas, it’s best to spend some money and hire someone who is up to the job. While hiring a professional that knows all the ins and outs of weatherizing garage doors may cost you a little more at the outset, but it will end up saving you more money in the long run.
If you have an insulated door, you will also want to check the insulation to make sure that it hasn’t deteriorated too much; if it has, you’ll need to replace it with new insulation, which you can buy as part of a kit. Most insulation these days is extremely strong and water resistant, and the kit provides you everything that you need to install the new insulation. These kits are available from any major home improvement center.