Eliminating drafts pays dividends. Besides being more comfortable and saving money on the utility bill, an energy-efficient home helps conserve our natural resources. Eliminating drafts is one of the least expensive, most cost-effective improvements you can make to your home. All the doors and windows in the average home can be weather-stripped for about the same cost as dinner and a movie - and in about the same amount of time.

A trip to your local home center or hardware store will reveal a vast assortment of weather-stripping materials. Ultimately, the type of material used depends upon two major factors - the configuration and construction of the door or window and your budget.

When weather-stripping a door, consider the top, sides and bottom. The top and sides can be tackled with various styles of weather-stripping while the bottom will require different materials.

Adhesive-backed foam, felt strips, serrated metal/felt, spring metal, interlocking metal and a tubular vinyl gaskets are the most popular weather-stripping designs to eliminate drafts at the top and sides of a door. Of these choices, the adhesive-backed foam and tubular vinyl gaskets are the most popular among do-it-yourselfers.

Adhesive-backed foam consists of a foam rubber strip about 1-inch wide with peel-away paper. A step up is the tubular vinyl gasket weather-stripping. It is a vinyl tube with a nailing lip. Upgraded variations of this style of weather-stripping include a solid aluminum nailing strip to which the vinyl tube is attached. Both of these materials also can be used to weather-strip certain types of windows. Many retailers sell the vinyl tube/aluminum strip packaged in precut lengths with enough material to do the top and sides of one door.

The spring "V" metal strip and interlocking metal are the best permanent types of weather-stripping. Polyethylene and dense foam rubber are the best nonmetal materials. Nylon pile can flatten out over time.

Eliminating drafts at the bottom of a door is an altogether different process. The key to sealing drafts here is to have the bottom of the door and the threshold work in harmony - without sticking. There are various means to accomplish this.

A threshold can be made of wood, metal or plastic, or a combination. It can interlock with the bottom of the door, can have a vinyl gasket or consist of nothing more than the basic threshold itself. The most common type is made of aluminum without the gasket or interlocking feature.

A threshold is an object of abuse. Besides the wear and tear it receives from constant opening and closing of a door, it is subject to lots of foot traffic. Thus, vinyl gaskets tend to become damaged and interlocking mechanisms bent.

A door bottom or "door shoe" can be the real key to remedying a drafty door. An aluminum door shoe is shaped like the letter "U," fits snugly over the bottom of the door and has a vinyl gasket that seals to the threshold. The door shoe is attached to the bottom of the door with screws through slotted holes that allow for seasonal adjustment. If the vinyl gasket should become worn out, it can be replaced without having to replace the entire door shoe.

Another means of controlling drafts at the bottom of a door is a door sweep. It is a strip of aluminum that holds a flap of vinyl securely in place. When the door is closed, the flap rests snugly against the threshold. As with the door shoe, the sweep is attached to the bottom of the door with screws.

An often-overlooked source of drafts is the bottom of a garage door. Folks with one-piece tilt up garage doors can install a door sweep similar to the type used on swinging doors. Though larger and longer, the concept is the same. Most overhead doors are manufactured with a vinyl gasket at the bottom of the door. Unfortunately, over time, this gasket can become brittle and cracked, thus losing its effectiveness. It can, however, be replaced in minutes. Depending up the style of your door, you might be required to order this material from a garage-door company.