Focus On Energy: Cold-Weather Caulking

It’s 30°F and windy. You’re struggling to get a house closed to the weather, but the weather is not cooperating. Your fingers feel cold and fat as you slice the tip from a new tube of caulk and slip it into the gun. You squeeze hard on the trigger, and a stiff, white bead crawls out of the tip. You press the tip against a corner board, but the bead topples away from the wall and falls like a stone to the ground. In desperation, you read the fine print on the tube label: “Apply to clean, dry surfaces. Application temperature: 40°F to 80°F.” The problem with these instructions, of course, is that construction sites are