Seal Air Leaks for Big Savings
I was looking through the Energy Star website today and came across some great information on sealing your home against air leaks. Sealing air leaks in your home is the cheapest way to make big progress toward reducing your heating and cooling costs. This is the strategy we used when constructing our new home, but it is something you can do with an existing home as well. Sealing you home is perfect for the do-it-yourselfer. All you need is a few basic (and inexpensive) materials and some patience.
My top five air leaks to fix:
- Windows - caulk around windows to prevent air from leaking. This will make the living space around the windows more comfortable and save money too!
- Doors - caulk or replace weather stripping around doors.
- Recessed can lights and other openings in your ceiling - this will take a little more work than the first two. You will need to climb into the attic and use a combination of caulk, spray foam insulation, and fiberglass insulation to seal the leaks.
- Air Ducts - Most houses lose a lot of air that leaks from ductwork into the attic. This heated or cooled air might as well be money leaking from your wallet. It is purely a waste of conditioned air. Ductwork can be sealed using tape made for air ducts. Do NOT use the common gray duct tape that we’ve all used. It will dry out and fall apart over time. Also make sure there are not gaps in the insulation wrapping your ductwork.
- Attic doors - a lot of air can seep through gaps in the attic doors in our ceilings. Use weather stripping to create a seal around the door.
The Energy Star website has a great DIY guide for sealing air leaks around your house. I highly recommend you spend a Saturday performing this kind of maintenance. It can pay big dividends by reducing your heating/cooling costs.
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