One of the simplest and most cost-effective ways of reducing your home energy bills is to find and seal air leaks in your home. This also improves indoor air quality (IAQ), because any outside pollutants will remain outside if they don’t have an entryway into your home. It’s not advisable to rely on air leakage as a means of ventilating a home because this is uncontrolled, and allows for unwanted cold air in winter and unwanted humidity in summer. The better approach is to install a system of controlled ventilation and seal up all leaks for better health and comfort.
Finding Air Leaks
The best way of finding air leaks is to have your home reviewed by a qualified technician. However, you can identify many of the leaks yourself simply through close observation. On the house’s exterior, look for places where two different building materials join, such as at all corners and where the foundation joins the frame. Check spots where the chimney or vents exit the home, and around door and window frames.
Inside the home, also check around door and window frames, electrical and gas service entrances, baseboards, around weatherstripping, dryer vents and attic hatches. These are often vulnerable against air leakage because they’re not fully sealed against the outdoors.
Sealing Air Leaks
You can seal air leaks through the use of either caulking, spray foam or weatherstripping. Caulk is especially effective for use on cracks and around stationary components, such as door and window frames. It’s inexpensive and very easy to apply. For larger stationary gaps, spray foam insulation is advised.
Weatherstripping comes in many different materials, including felt, plastic, foam tape and even metal, and generally comes in coils. It’s used to seal components that are not stationary, such as sliding doors and operational windows.
Contact Us
Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc. has been serving the Dayton-Springfield area for three generations, and we’d be proud to include you among our family of satisfied customers. If you’re in the area, stop in and discuss any home comfort issues you might have with our experts, or if you prefer, contact us through our website for a fast response.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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