If you have an older home that still has its original windows, chances are you have noticed the small gaps where the glass window panes and wooden frames meet. These small gaps are the reason that your home is losing cold and hot air from your HVAC system, which costs you additional money on your energy bills. Thankfully, you can use caulk to fix the problem on your own.

Step 1: Gather Materials & Tools 

Start by getting the following items. Anything you do not have can be purchased as your local home improvement store.

• Painter's tape (1/2 inch wide)
• Wooden Dowels (1/8 inch thick, 1 inch long)
• Tack hammer
• Silicone caulk
• Caulking gun

Step 2: Preparation

Gently put pressure on your window pane, which will expose how bad the gap is. You will gently tape a wooden dowel between the center of the glass and the bottom of the wooden window frame using your tack hammer. Once the dowel is secure, place wooden dowels into each of the remaining sides of the window. This helps keep the window gap open while you fill the gap with caulk.

Place painters tape on the window frame's wooden edge. This will prevent caulk from accidentally getting on the window frame, making for a fast cleanup when finished.

Step 3: Caulking

With the windowpane prepared, you can start filling in the space around the window with caulk. Place the caulk into the caulking gun, and cut the tip off at a 45 degree angle. Then squeeze the handle of the caulking gun until a small bead forms on the tube's tip.

Start at a corner of the window and fill the gap in with caulk, continuing until you are approximately a quarter inch away from your first dowel. Skip past the dowel, and continue caulking on the other side a quarter inch away from it. Move around the corner of the window frame, and continue caulking until you reach the second dowel. Continue the process of skipping over the dowels until you reach the starting point. The caulk will need to dry, which can take about an hour. Refer to the directions on your caulk for an exact time.

Once the caulk has dried, you can remove the dowels and fill in those gaps with caulk. Wait until the caulk has dried, and remove the dowels and tape from around from the window frame.

This quick fix will help keep air from leaking around the glass panes. While it's not a permanent solution, it can help seal the gaps in your windows until you purchase new ones from a professional window installation company in your area.