Why is air sealing important in your home? This can be a loaded question.
First of all, air is a carrier. With it, air brings along unwanted moisture, pollutants, and temperature differentials. When a home operates under different pressures from HVAC run cycles and using the dryer and bathroom fans, air will find its way in. In order for insulation to work effectively, air movement through the building envelope should be restricted. Many places in the attic and crawl space should be air sealed. Holes cut for plumbing pipes, electrical wires, and HVAC ductwork and returns are notorious areas for air leakage. Designed chases for wires, plumbing, and ductwork are rarely sealed to restrict air movement into wall systems and the home.
All these “little” holes left open by contractors can add up and make any home uncomfortable. Simple fixes can solve complex issues if you are armed with the right knowledge. Knowing what to look for and how to fix it will require some building science knowledge. However, the concepts of air sealing are simple enough for a weekend warrior to understand and tackle themselves. The next question though is who wants to go into the crawlspace or attic and move around old fiberglass insulation in order to air seal penetrations. That is where Energy Savers comes in. Not only do we find and identify the problems, we also provide the solutions and fixes to these important areas needing improvement.
Air sealing and air barriers are relatively new concepts and are not enforced even in modern building codes. These necessities unfortunately are only caught on new construction if the home is going for a green certification. Bottom line, I’ll bet 95% of existing homes could benefit from air sealing.
The sooner improvements are made to the home; the sooner gains can be realized. It’s hard to put a price on being comfortable. How about a price on indoor air quality? We can definitely put a price on energy efficiency. We all want to be comfortable in our homes, especially considering how much we spend to heat and cool them. Air sealing is the first sequential step in any energy improvement and it happens to be one of the things we specialize in. Give us a call and let us help you get closer to a healthier, more comfortable energy efficient home.
