Air sealing is an important factor in how efficient your home is. Any air that you pay to heat up or cool down your home is leaking out of your home and is being wasted. Meanwhile, outside air can come into your house, making the temperature of your home less comfortable. Sealing these air leaks can save you more than 20% on your heating and cooling bills.
During a home energy assessment, a blower door test will be done. This not only shows how much air is leaking out of your home, but will also indicate where the leaks are. Technicians can then easily seal all leaks in your house and increase the energy efficiency of your home.
If you are upgrading the insulation in your home, sealing any leaks is usually included with most insulation upgrades.
Air sealing targets common air leakage locations
Here are some of the locations where air leakage occurs in a typical house:
- Plumbing and wiring penetrations through floors, walls and ceilings
- Chimney penetrations through insulated ceilings and exterior walls
- Attic access hatches, doors and drop-down stairs
- Recessed lights and fans in insulated ceilings
- Weather-stripping around windows and exterior doors
- Holes in drywall or plaster
- Electrical outlets and switches, especially on exterior walls
- Trim around windows and doors; baseboard moldings
- Dropped ceilings above bathtubs and cabinets
- Hollow cores in concrete block walls